Following the release of Shallow Waters in December last year I have been informing readers that I hope to have DI Hannah Robbins 2 out in the summer this year as it is already partly written. This was a perfectly fine deadline.
That was until I hit a complete brick wall…
I’m working in Scrivener so that I can move chapters around at will. I have a full synopsis and know where the story is going and was happily working away on it, using that ability to move chapters, to allow me to write part of one person’s timeline rather than writing the whole, in chronological order. It was working well and I was enjoying it.
But then I started to feel it was coming unstuck….
I had too much freedom. How was I going to piece this damn puzzle back together again? I kept looking at my synopsis, looking at what I had written; part chronological and part out of sequence and wondered how to put it all together. I still had more to write for the characters and didn’t know how to fit it in, especially if I couldn’t even fit in what I’d already written! OMG, what had I done writing out of order?
I stopped writing. I became unglued. Detached from the story. Two weeks just thinking about it but not typing a word.
But here’s the thing I want to say today if you write. Trust that process. I know there are a lot of posts and articles; advice, out there, telling you to put your bum in the seat and type, but sometimes it can work against you. Stepping back and leaving your mind to sort it out can work.
Yesterday morning I was doing the ironing, listening to a podcast as I do when I iron, when I was suddenly struck by a eureka moment on how this novel was going to be structured. And it made perfect sense. It made emotional sense for all the characters and would read properly. I had to run off and leave the ironing to write down what had come to me before I lost it again.
Now I can start to type again because, for the last two weeks, I have been working, just not typing, my mind has been in the background figuring it all out for me.
This post was brought to you as part of Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group which posts on the first Wednesday of each month. Joining means you get to meet fellow writers who are willing to share and encourage every single month. What’s not to love.
A quick aside, I need to post this here to claim my blog on Bloglovin as I notice a lot of people read blogs through that now.
David J Delaney says
Sometimes doing some mundane is the perfect way to kick writers block…
LM Milford says
Reblogged this on L.M. Milford and commented:
Great post from Rebecca. Not just about ‘bum on seat’. Taking a break to ponder can be the solution!
MarinaSofia says
Brilliant – am glad you managed to find the way forward. Sometimes the brain needs a rest from the actual writing so it can find its own solutions…
Alex J. Cavanaugh (@AlexJCavanaugh) says
You stepped back and let your subconscious work on it for a while, which was a smart thing.
Margot Kinberg says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Rebecca. I think all of us have that experience sometimes where we feel unable to move on in the writing process for one reason or another.. When that happens, I think you are 100% right that it’s a matter of not giving up and working through it.. And sometimes, our mind solves problems when we’re not even aware of it.
cgcoppola says
Eureka moments come when you’re not thinking so hard. When you’re doing something else and let your mind wander. I’m glad you relaxed and let the story breathe! How is Scrivener? I’ve heard good things about it but I have my process and it works (I’m a metal outlining panster). I’m super allergic to change but again, if something is awesome, it’s worth looking into.
Jacqui Murray says
I am in complete agreement. That distance gives ideas time to float to the surface, do their silent work of rearrange parts, and then smacking us in our subconscious to notice what they’ve done. You’re lucky it only took two weeks!
emaginette says
Excellent. The hard part is over. 🙂
Anna from Shout with Emaginette
Prashant C. Trikannad says
Rebecca, I’ve been working on a novella and a short story collection and I keep running into that brick wall. When this happens I stop writing and come back to it later. I try not to be impatient. If it happens, fine; if it doesn’t, still fine. Who am I kidding!
Annalisa Crawford says
I have never written in chronological order! And I love that eureka moment where everything just seems so simple and perfect. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Diane Burton says
Love those “ah hah” moments.I wouldn’t get one ironing. I threw out my full-size ironing board when we moved. It was only 40+ years old. LOL I get my best ideas right before falling asleep.
Rebecca Bradley says
Oh yes, sleep. Another time when your mind is switched off from other things. I presume you have a notebook by your bed?
Graeme Cumming says
This resonates so much with me at the moment, Rebecca. Haven’t quite hit that Eureka moment yet, but I sense it’s nearly there. Well done for hitting yours. Looking forward to the next instalment
Rebecca Bradley says
Thank you. And fingers crossed yours comes soon. Relax, don’t stress and I’m sure it will.