Are you struggling to get back into your fiction novel or short story? No matter how hard you’ve tried, you just feel stuck, and even thinking about your story makes you frustrated—like you want to throw your computer out the window or find a new hobby that isn’t quite as soul destroying. But don’t put down your pen or stop exercising those typing fingers just yet! Hope is just a page away.
Whether you’ve hit a dead-end in your plot, your characters aren’t fully developed, or the world you’re creating just doesn’t feel like home, here are five unique ways to help you get back on track.
1. What would your main character say to you if they were here? Write a paragraph of their response if you told them you were struggling to write their story. Their reply—however sarcastic, quippy, or wise—might just help motivate you … and give you another taste of their unique personality, tone of voice, and way of looking at the world. For more fun, also record their body language, expression, and other visual cues as they share their thoughtful or ridiculous speech with you. Maybe even strike up an imaginary conversation with them and see where it leads you—they may end up sharing key details about themselves or what’s going on in their life. And possibly, that trickle of inspiration will turn into a flow of words.
2. Who’s your sounding board, those one or two people who will read a first draft of your manuscript? With those one or two individuals, come up with a date when you will share the completed first draft of your novel or short story with them. Put it on your calendars and ask them to check in with you along the way as the deadline approaches. Come up with an action plan now and talk to your friends about creative ways to motivate you if you’re falling behind. These people can be anyone you chose, but even better if they are creatives in some way, shape, or form. Then their encouragement will feel less like pestering and more like a friendly challenge from a fellow creative.
3. What emotions do you want your story to evoke, and how should the reader feel when they’ve finished it? Write down the emotions you want your reader to feel as they experience your novel or short story. Ideally, it will be a range of emotions at different parts of the story. Then finally, when readers reach the conclusion of your tale, what taste will it leave in their mouths? This is especially helpful if you’re stuck on the ending of your story. Every good story sticks around in a reader’s mind for days, weeks, sometimes even months as they process what they read, connect it to their own life, or wonder where the characters are now. How do you want your story to leave the reader, and what will stick in their mind afterward? If you can’t think of anything, consider how the best books you’ve read have made you feel and how the author accomplished that. Processing that can give you a great trajectory for your ending, especially if you haven’t mapped that out yet.
4. What tastes, smells, looks, sounds, and feels like your story? Find something from each of the five senses that makes you think of your story. Maybe it’s the sound of your character’s children playing in the turtle-shaped sandbox in the backyard. Maybe it’s the smell of asphalt, exhaust, and tacos from the local Mexican restaurant that overwhelms your character every time they step outside their city apartment. Or the feeling of the soft leather journal your character writes all their deepest thoughts in. Or the smooth, sweet taste of a grape popsicle from the ice cream truck in your character’s suburban neighborhood. Or the appearance of the white cat with heart-shaped calico spots that shows up on the doorstep.
The more specific you can get, the clearer your story’s world becomes. Record those things, and if you can, experience one or two of them before you sit down to write. These senses are the gateway into becoming more deeply and tangibly involved in the world of your story.
5. What’s the biggest blocker keeping you from writing your story right now? Maybe it’s the plot, characters, or setting. If it’s the plot, try taking a big piece of paper and mapping out your plot as it is so far. From there, write down all the different directions the story could go from there (throw in the ridiculous options too!) and play a choose- your-own-adventure game with your plot. Ask yourself, If this happens, what happens next? Keep playing around until you feel like you’ve freed yourself from the trap of a tricky plot.
If getting inside your character’s head is the issue, set up a mock interview where you act as your character and a friend asks you questions (starting with the basic get-to- know-you questions and slowly going deeper). By being forced to think and act quickly as your character, you’ll find out lots about them!
If it’s the setting, try closing your eyes and taking yourself for a walk around the area that needs more development. Imagine what it’s like—or what it could be like—as you encounter those gray areas you haven’t built yet.
Lastly, some encouragement. Wherever you’re at in your fiction piece, and whether it’s headed for publication or just a spot on your finished projects shelf, your novel or short story is important! Your main character needs you just as much as you need them. If you don’t tell their story, no one will. After all, you are the only one who can. You’re the only one with intimate enough knowledge about the innerworkings of their brain, physical environment, and unique journey to tell their story. It’s like a secret only you’ve been entrusted to keep. If you don’t tell it, no one will.
So go out there and write it!