Tell yourself the story

By: Cassie Shiels

Ever get in that, I am not telling this right mode, where the words are not pouring out, but are being dragged out of your brain. Like you have to push and shove them out, and then what you read isn't right. Ah its so frustrating when the characters or the descriptions will not cooperate with you. When it worked out so nicely when you were outlining but now is a completely different feeling. The moment where writing becomes harder then you want it to be. Not fun! Anyone who has ever felt this would agree. Some people call it a version of writers block, others just throw in the towel or muddle through it only to go back and rewrite it all later. It can be super frustrating! I know.

So what do you do?

How do you fix this?

Here are a few ideas. Take a moment to breathe. If you need to step back and do something else for a day or two to let go of the frustration do it. Then something I like to do when things haven't been working out right is I tell myself the story. Be prepared with a notebook just in case it suddenly all works out.

But one of the biggest reasons that I write is because I love to read. I love to get lost in the story and sometimes when writing we loose that. So stop and take a shower, go to bed a little early and tell yourself your story, your scene what ever it is that is bugging you.

Let go of all the writing advice, let go of this has to happen this way next. Let it all go and just tell yourself the story. Who knows? It might open up new thoughts, but it hopefully should help get rid of the frustration and the anxiety of trying to get this right. But I mean it, have a notebook near by, because if you don't, you know how it works, the ideas leave for good if you swear that you will remember it later. We all know this to be true.

I also tell myself to just tell myself the story the first time I write it, but I don't always follow my own advice. But if I can do that, it makes the first draft more fun in my opinion. You can go back later and add in the other stuff.

So tell yourself the story. Let it be just for you, the first time. Or if you get stuck, put the paper and keyboard away for a moment and have a moment with your characters.