Writing doesn’t always mean writing.
Not in the typing-away-at-the-keyboard sense.
Sometimes, it means stopping to reposition.
It may mean mulling things over and figuring out certain specifics—background information on your characters, plot points, pathways, and resolutions.
There may be times in your writing when it doesn’t seem right; it just seems off.
There may be times when you get to a certain point and you need to stop.
There are choices to be made such as which path to follow, which direction to pursue.
When this happens, take the time needed to figure this out. That is part of the writing process. Sometimes the stopping and reflecting is what will move the needle.
It’s not a matter of being stuck, but being in a CONTEMPLATION STAGE. I, personally, have to check myself when this happens as it can be very discouraging.
BUT THEN, to MOVE FORWARD . . .
I mull things over, and it looks something like this:
I go back to that stereogram analogy, where I concentrate in complete silence and weigh out different scenarios. I go inward with a relaxed focus. I ask myself, “what if” or “maybe this” and then I listen to my heart. . . does it FEEL RIGHT, does this direction excite me?
And then, I take a JOURNAL/NOTEBOOK and jot down my ideas. I do NOT do this on the computer. For me, the process of using a pen and writing ideas down freely unleashes a creativity that I don’t get on the computer. Don’t get me wrong, I do my best writing on the computer. BUT, for free-form brainstorming, the journal is what facilitates my thoughts and propels me to storyline possibilities. I can jot down random ideas, dialogues, and scribble away.
When you get to this point—it doesn’t even have to be with writing; it could be with any of your goals when you come across roadblocks and you’re needing to figure out how to navigate around them—STOP, actively play out different scenarios, and figure out your next course of action. Those writing daily word counts will come about much easier if you take the time to journal out your next steps.
This IS writing.