Every writer gets into a rut at some point. You write a book. And another. And another. Pretty soon they all have the same plot, the same kinds of characters, and the same sorts of villain.
How do you conquer this writing rut? By following three simple steps.
Creative Commons by Caterina.Appia
When I’m in a writing rut, it’s bad. I rarely write more than five-hundred words a day, my characters all have the same personality, and my plots all start to involve a quest to retrieve some sort of magical artifact.
Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to get rid of these nasty ruts.
1. Write in a different genre
If all you’re writing is fantasy or mystery, try writing something else. I write a lot of middle-grade/YA fantasy, but just one romantic short story and contemporary YA novel has completely changed my writing style. I’m actually excited about my writing and I rarely have writer’s block.
2. Do some free writing
Turn on some classical music, lock yourself in your bedroom, and let loose. Write poetry, write about what you did yesterday, write crap. Soon your creative juices will start to flow and you’ll come up with some brand new ideas.
3. Inspire yourself
Read a book, watch a movie, listen to some music, talk to your writer friends. One of my favorite things to do when I’m in a rut is to look for an inspiring image online and write using that picture as a prompt. You know what they say: a picture’s worth a thousand words. (Or in my case, two-thousand).
When your rut is gone, it is utter bliss. It feels likes an invisible cage that was trapping your imagination has been unlocked and suddenly your typing is a cacophony of clicks and clacks.
Writing ruts can be difficult to get rid of, but with a little time and a lot of writing, it’ll be gone. Take it from someone who’s written three books with a shy, nerdy main character.
What are some of your tricks to conquering writing ruts? Share in the comments.
~The Magic Violinist
