For the most part, I am a linear writer. I like everything together in the same document, in the order I want it to go in, but that doesn't always work.
In my WIP, I've been stuck on one scene for a while now. Of course, it's an action scene. For me, those scenes always require a lot of revision. I always put in too much emotion or too much detail or both and totally screw up the pacing in the first draft. My perfectionist brain can't handle this. Just the idea of writing an action scene makes it shut down and then, somehow, I'm checking my email. Or Facebook. Or anything besides working on that blasted action scene.
I tried to sit down and force myself to write it. I knew how I wanted it to go, so that wasn't the issue. It was just getting my fingers to type what I knew would be horrible, horrible words. I couldn't tarnish my previously "perfect" draft with such an awful scene.
The solution (that I've known about for a long time but always forget)?
I opened a blank document and told myself it was okay if I screwed it up because it never had to touch the real document if I hated it. Three days later, I have a shiny new action scene that, at least for the moment, I think turned out pretty good. Such a simple solution. Too bad it always takes me so long to remember how well this works for me. :)
What about you? Any types of scenes that trip you up? What do you do to get unstuck?
1 comment:
I love this--and it reminds me to give myself permission to write pages that might not end up in my novel. Thanks for sharing!
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