Not exactly writer's block . . . but working through it. What works for you?

[Ronn Munsterman]

Here's my current story of being temporarily stumped. Care to share one of yours and how you solved it?

I don't really suffer from writers block, although I know a lot of writers have and do at various times. I tend to think of it more as "I'm stumped" at the moment (and yes, I recognize that this may simply be a matter of semantics). This can occur during the plotting stage of the book as well as the writing of it. This is about a plotting problem.

When I'm plotting, the problem usually comes in the basic form of "what's the big idea for the book?" An example of the "big idea" is trying to destroy the Nazis' atomic bomb lab in my first book, Operation Devil's Fire. Sometimes the stumped period can be a few minutes or several days.

I use a lot of resources (online and my continually growing library of WWII history books) to come up with the missions that Dunn and Saunders take their men on. Sometimes, I can get a couple of good ideas, but maybe not the "big" one.

Right now, I'm about 50% done plotting book 13. I have the first missions for Dunn and Saunders, and I have one that could be the "big" one. Last night, I began having doubts about it, and researched the idea, which actually seemed to make it worse. Perhaps it wouldn't work after all.

Bummer, dude.

I mentioned the problem to my wife and we discussed it for a while. She's really good at helping me think things through. Her comments allowed me decide to let it percolate over night.

This morning, the solution presented itself to me out of nowhere while thinking about something else, not an uncommon thing to happen. This doesn't happen only to writers. Anyone who solves problems of any kind can experience this. It often happened to me when I was an IT Systems Analyst.

Now that I'm satisfied I can make the "big" idea work, all I need to do is apply logical thinking to the story and determine what happens, then what happens next, and repeat until we reach the end.

By the way, I never wait until the book is 100% plotted to start. I began writing book 13 last Sunday, the 8th. No title yet. That's almost always one of the last things we come up with.

[Simon Haynes]

I have a writer friend I discuss plots with (in person).  Conversation is the only thing that works for us, because typing is much too slow to handle the flow of information.

We'll walk to the shops or do some renovation work and chat about plots at the same time. The best thing is, she'll immediately tell me if an idea is crap, or force me to justify it with everything I have if I want to keep it.

I've learned to summarise to the bare minimum, because you can see someone's eyes glazing over when you boggle them with too much detail.

She discusses her plots with me as well, but she usually has specific areas she wants help with. I'll throw out ideas, she'll tell me they're all crap, and eventually she'll find something that works by herself. (I'm just there to get all the unusable ideas out of the way. That's my strength, apparently.)

As for writers block, nope. If I get stuck it's because the bit I'm writing is boring, or just doesn't interest me, or feels like running on the spot. If so, it doesn't belong in my novel to start with, so I leap over it and start writing an interesting bit instead. Easy to go back and stitch the bits and pieces together in a chapter or two, when the characters are back on track.

I've just committed to writing 56k in two weeks, so on the 1st October you're welcome to grill me about my progress ;-)

[Ronn Munsterman]

As for writers block, nope. If I get stuck it's because the bit I'm writing is boring, or just doesn't interest me, or feels like running on the spot. If so, it doesn't belong in my novel to start with, so I leap over it and start writing an interesting bit instead. Easy to go back and stitch the bits and pieces together in a chapter or two, when the characters are back on track.

I've just committed to writing 56k in two weeks, so on the 1st October you're welcome to grill me about my progress ;-)

I do the same thing when I'm "supposed" to write chapter no. x and it's not there. I'll skip to something I already have a good feel for and go back to the other later.

good luck on the 56k!

[Rosie Scott]

This morning, the solution presented itself to me out of nowhere while thinking about something else, not an uncommon thing to happen.

This happens to me a lot. I'll be out of ideas and staring at the screen thinking there's no way past this. Then, with a break, some time, and distance, my imagination and/or coincidental circumstances tap on my brain and offer solutions. I don't know what causes that burst of creativity that views things from a different angle, but every time I need it, it eventually shows up to pull me out of a rut. I think it's all part of being an author with an imagination constantly running wild.

One time, while writing Book 4 of my dystopian series, I knew the ending: I needed my characters (terrorists of a resistance) to somehow make it to the top floor of a skyscraper (full of armed government guards and dedicated to the biased dystopian media), send a message out to the masses, and escape. The building I used is a real building that exists today, so I was limited to its architectural design. I didn't know how they'd do this without being overwhelmed. I stopped writing for a bit and mulled it over. Eventually, I thought: "Clear out the building." How does one clear out a skyscraper without killing through everyone? Well, the little demented arsonist in me excitedly declared, "Fire!" As part of their stealth mission beforehand, they successfully managed to set off the fire alarms to get the building cleared of most its occupants as they headed up its floors. Such a plan meant they were swarmed after being discovered sending out the video message, of course, but that was only an excuse for an action-packed escape and fight scene.

Sometimes I'll also brainstorm with my husband and best friend. Getting new/fresh perspectives always helps when your mind goes back to the same thing that won't work repeatedly. That, and a break. If I take a forced break from writing it's always cut short because my over-active mind is raring to get back into it.

By the way: your books sound awesome. The plot reminds me of all the hours I've spent in the Sniper Elite video game series creeping around as a sniper taking out Nazis and foiling plans for their war machines and V-2 rockets. 

Edit: Just borrowed Operation Devil's Fire on my Kindle. You have me excited to jump back into WW2.