Writer's Defensive Line.

What do I write? Where do I go from here? Who ARE these people in my head?

Every now and then I face the well known opponent, Writer's Block.  And once in a great while, it's not just a block, it's an entire defensive line, keeping me from driving forward and making that first down.  Thats when I turn to my own offensive line to get the creative juices  flowing. Sometimes the difficulty is knowing which play to draw from my playbook.  This morning, I'm in the huddle, trying to pull out the play that will punch through those blockers, so I thought I would share some ideas for pushing farther down the field.

1. Don't take a knee: Just write.  No matter how bad the metaphors, how unorganized the line, or how big the gap in the score. Case in point, this blog!

2. Try a new/trick play: Find a site for writing prompts and just spend some time writing about something new. A short story, a description, an idea. Anything different that can get you're creative juices flowing again, then reapproach it. You may not have solved the problem but maybe you can come back to it with more confidence and energy.

3. Halftime Huddle: Talk to friends, critique partners, or anyone you find helpful. When you're behind and discouraged, sometimes you just need someone to remind you why you are putting yourself through this and give you a peptalk to get you through the end of the game. Sometimes just talking to yourself, out loud, is all you may need.

4. Warm up: Get out of that seat, take a walk, take a shower,  work out. Do something that invigorates your body and settles your mind.

5. Kick a Field Goal: Work on something else. A query letter, synopsis, another chapter... anything that gives you forward momentum.

6. Play street ball: When you find yourself stifled by your routine, change it up. Take your writing somewhere else- the park, the mall, any place that will help you find a new focus.

7. Take a time out to talk to the coach:  Utilize wisdom from other books, blogs, websites.

This morning I began reading "No More Rejections. 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells."
I'm not tackling the entire book at the moment, just started with the first chapter which happened to talk about the difference between an idea and a story.  I've been doing alot of brainstorming about ideas, but realized, none of them had become a story yet. And THAT, my friends, is where my trouble began this morning. I have been working on an idea, but didn't take the time to develop the idea into a story before writing.  I had no idea where to go with it because I hadn't really delved into who my characters are, why they do the things they do, what their weaknesses and strengths are, what they want in life. You get the idea.

When writer's block comes to play, tighten your offensive line, use all your players, and punch through until you finally score that touchdown.

Now I promise, no more football analogies for at least 6 months!