Ask the Author: Mike Kimmel
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Mike Kimmel
I really like to observe. I think I've always been a people watcher, and I'll often watch an interaction or dialogue between people I don't know and then try to imagine taking it to an exaggerated extreme. If you watch something unfold - and then ask "what if ...." or "what next ...." you can really set the wheels to turning in a creative way. In this way, scenes start to unfold for you. Not all of them are usable, but the process can often produce surprising results.
Mike Kimmel
I think I've found a couple of tricks worth sharing to overcome writer's block. First, it's valuable to have several things in the works concurrently. This way, you'll always have something to immerse yourself in depending upon your mood that day. There will always be a "jumping off" point to help you start. Okay, okay, I know a lot of people might prefer to work on one thing at a time, but I've found it helpful to be in the midst of many. Hey...in the midst of many ... I kinda like that. See, it works. If you absolutely, positively can't find something new to work on, then pull out the previous day's writing and begin to rewrite that. After a while, it starts to get longer and you'll find you're no longer rewriting but also adding on. This works subtly, but it does seem to work, especially if you try it without putting too much pressure on yourself.
Hope these two little techniques help.
Hope these two little techniques help.
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