writerjenn

I call this entry "Writer's Blocks," plural, because in my experience, there are many reasons I can get stuck, and many different approaches to getting unblocked.  Below are some reasons for getting stuck, and approaches I've tried, which may or may not work for anyone else.

I can't write that scene/story because:

It's too boring.  It IS boring.  I think I need this scene, but do I really?  Does anyone care that the heroine ate dinner in between the rainstorm and the fight with her husband?
Approach: Only write the interesting parts.  Those are the only parts anyone will want to read, after all.

I don't know what comes next.  The story runs up against a blank wall.  The character has to make a choice, and I don't know what he chooses.  Or, one character says something, and I don't know how the other character responds.
Approaches: Try what-ifs.  What if it happens this way; what if it happens that way?  Write the possibilties.  Ask the characters what they want, what they're driving toward.

It's too embarrassing.  I would die if anyone I knew read this.  What would they think?  How can I write about nose-picking/self-gratification/bulimia/ whatever?  
Approach: Write it.  You don't have to show it to anyone; just write it.  You can worry about other people later.

Nobody will want to read this.  My writing is too old-fashioned/esoteric/poetic/cute/edgy/whatever.
Approach: Write what you really, truly, with all your heart and soul, want to write.  Styles and trends change all the time.

I don't want anyone I know to read this.  What will my mother/boyfriend/editor/daughter/wife/neighbor think of me?  They'll think I'm mean/self-involved/geeky.  They'll think that I hate my mother, embezzle from my job, or cheat on my wife, just because my characters do.  Person X will think Character A is based on her.
Approach: See approach for "It's too embarrassing."

I'm scared.  This scene/topic cuts too close to the bone.
Approach: Writing is supposed to cut close to the bone.  Take a deep breath.  Write it.  Get emotional support if you need to.

I don't really know these characters/this setting.  I don't know what these people want.  I can't picture where they are.
Approaches: Do character sketches.  Explore the setting with all five senses.

I don't really know this place/this time.  I have no idea what people would wear or say in ancient Egypt/19th-century Poland/1950s Brooklyn.  
Approach: Research.

Sometimes, the problems seem more global:

I can't write anything at all.  My mind is empty.
Possibility #1: I have just finished a big writing project, and I am exhausted.
Approach #1: Rest a bit.  Let the well refill.
Possibility #2: I'm really being blocked by one of the other reasons: I'm scared, or bored, or censoring myself, etc.

I know this story isn't working, but I don't know how to fix it.  I've tried this, I've tried that, and nothing works.
Approach: Identify the conflict.  If you can't, that may be a clue.  What do the characters want?  If you don't know, that may be a clue.  Listen to the story.  Where does it need to go?  If you can't hear it yet, set it aside and work on something else.

I might add, that last one is what I do when all else fails: set the troublesome piece aside and work on something else for a while.