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Spring, 2002
Volume 7, No. 1 Welcome to every writer's nightmare. You sit at your desk in front of the glowing screen (or in Lee Harris's case, you sit at your typewriter), fingers poised over the keyboard. Nothing happens. The words don't flow. They don't even trickle. The blank surface stares back at you, seeming to sneer in triumph at your inability to conquer it. Since the four of us have over 75 cumulative years of writing experience, we knew that somehow we'd each found a way to rise above it and get on with the task at hand. So we decided to contribute our methods to the world via this newsletter. Here are four writers' insights on that mysterious and destructive phenomenon.
Valerie Wolzien I've had eighteen books published in the last fourteen years, so writer's block isn't my problem. Life is. You know those bumper stickers that announce "I'd Rather be Reading"? Well, wave when you pass because I'm the one driving that car. I love to read. I also love to cook, to walk on the beach, to swim, to shop, to garden, to knit... Well, you get the idea. The problem is that I can't write at the same time as I do these other things. So I've convinced myself that thinking about writing is almost the same as writing. I can walk my dog in the local cemetery and find names for characters on the tombstones. I can look at the menu in a favorite restaurant and discover elaborate dishes for Susan Henshaw to serve at her next party. I can quiz the plumber fixing the sink in my son's bathroom and figure out a plot twist for Josie Pigeon's next outing. Taken to an extreme, I once claimed to be writing when on vacation in the Carribean—after all, there was a notebook lying right next to a few paperbacks in my straw beach bag. Susan and Jed Henshaw celebrate their 30th anniversary in An Anniversary to Die For (July 2002). Valerie's "research" took her to Silvermine, Conn., home of Johnny Guelle, author of the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy Books—childhood favorites. Valerie (valerie@wolzien.com) is working on A Fashionable Murder, the next Josie Pigeon Mystery.
Lee Harris Years and years ago I began a book about a woman who loved a spy. It had a great plot, great characters, great everything. I wrote the first two chapters or so and then, for a period of time I am ashamed to disclose, sat at my typewriter day in and day out without writing a word. I think they call that writer's block. The unhappy outcome was that I eventually came to my senses and tossed the few pages I had written. And I never went back to it although I occasionally think fondly of it. Why couldn't I proceed? Honestly, I don't know. But happily, that has never happened again. It's almost as though having suffered this terrible writer's disease, I have developed an immunity. Or at least, I hope I have. Nowadays what happens is that I write myself into a situation that I can't get out of. Or I pick a killer and realize it's the wrong person. Since I write with a contractual due date, I don't have the luxury of spending days or weeks mulling over where to go. I do a lot of thinking, even more hoping, and something comes to me. It may cost me time and extra work, but what's the alternative? Lee Harris's current book is The Happy Birthday Murder. In it, Chris connects two apparently unrelated old murders. Something new and wonderful will be coming from Lee in the future. She can be reached at MysMurder@aol.com.
Jonnie Jacobs Writer's block? I won't allow it. There are certainly days when the critic in my head won't shut up. Days when the story I'm working on is going nowhere, when my characters sound wooden, or I can't hear the rhythm of my prose or come up with anything but generic words. In writing as in life, some days are better than others. The key is to keep going. And the great thing about writing is, you can go back and redo what you don't like! I silence the critic by acknowledging that I'm writing a draft. When the plot hits a dead-end, I brainstorm things that might happen, no matter how outrageous. An old writing adage suggests a knock on the door when you hit a snag. I actually made use of that advice in Murder Among Strangers. Often when a character doesn't feel right, I change the name, physical appearance, sex, or age, and suddenly I've breathed new life into that character. I deal with writer's block by simply pushing through it. Let me add, however, that I find getting up and moving helpful. Even putting in a load of laundry will often bring a sentence or scene into focus. And what about those times I'd rather do just about anything but write? I write anyway (unless it's a glorious spring day. I am human, after all.) Cold Justice, 5th in the Kali O'Brien series, will be out in hardcover in June, along with the paperback of Witness for the Defense. The latest Kate Austen mystery, Murder Among Strangers, is now available in paperback. Write Jonnie at jonnie@jonniejacobs.com.
Lora Roberts I thought writer's block was just a myth writers used to feel better about not getting their work done. When I wasn't writing, and that was often, it wasn't because I was blocked. Like Valerie, I had too much going on. Gardening, or errands, or the kids' water polo games, or a book calling out to be read. Even house cleaning could butt in line ahead of writing. I figured if only those distractions weren't around, I could whip out books in no time. So the kids went off to college. Rain made it hard to garden. New distractions surfaced in the form of a day job (college tuitions), which cut into writing time. Staring at the blank screen, I realized that I was experiencing writer's block. I knew the big picture of my book, but not how to get to the end of the chapter. I didn't go to Lee Harris for advice, because she's disgustingly regular in her writing habits, and would have no pity on me. I tried Jonnie's laundry method, but piles of beautifully folded sheets got me nowhere except the linen closet. I went with Valerie's walk-the-dog advice, to the dog's benefit if not my book's. Finally it came down to the time-tested (and Jonnie-tested) method of just doing it—sitting at the computer, grinding out the words. It took forever to finish the damned book, but eventually I did. And that's my solution to writer's block. You can climb over it, if you take it one word at a time. Bridget Montrose takes center stage in Another Fine Mess, due in October from Perseverance Press. Write Lora at myslora@pacbell.net.
Lee Harris ~ Jonnie Jacobs ~ Lora Roberts ~ Valerie Wolzien ©2005-06 by Lee Harris, Jonnie Jacobs, Lora Roberts and Valerie Wolzien. |
