Jeff Bond
I never get terrible writer's block -- that kind we all fear where you just can't put anything on the page -- but there are certainly times when the words aren't flowing as readily as I'd like, or when my inner critic is giving me an especially hard time. I have a couple methods for getting past these.
The first is to switch projects for, say, an afternoon. I especially enjoy high-level plotting and dreaming up new stories, so I'll usually move to a project that's in an earlier phase of drafting. After spending a little time in a more blue-sky, anything-is-possible mode, I usually come back to the previous work refreshed.
My other method is to step back from whatever scene I'm writing and ask myself, "What excites me here?" Regardless of where I am in a story, I feel like each scene should have one or two elements that I -- and, hopefully, my readers -- absolutely love. Maybe it's the introduction of a new character, or setting, or some social dynamic we all recognize but perhaps haven't read about. If I take a moment and designate which elements I love in a particular scene (and if there aren't any, add some of course!), that generally makes the whole thing come out a lot easier.
The first is to switch projects for, say, an afternoon. I especially enjoy high-level plotting and dreaming up new stories, so I'll usually move to a project that's in an earlier phase of drafting. After spending a little time in a more blue-sky, anything-is-possible mode, I usually come back to the previous work refreshed.
My other method is to step back from whatever scene I'm writing and ask myself, "What excites me here?" Regardless of where I am in a story, I feel like each scene should have one or two elements that I -- and, hopefully, my readers -- absolutely love. Maybe it's the introduction of a new character, or setting, or some social dynamic we all recognize but perhaps haven't read about. If I take a moment and designate which elements I love in a particular scene (and if there aren't any, add some of course!), that generally makes the whole thing come out a lot easier.
More Answered Questions
VT Dorchester
asked
Jeff Bond:
I recently very much enjoyed reading Dear Durwood. One of the things that I noticed, is that you took some pains to avoid spelling out obscenities in a couple of places throughout the book. Is this part of a general philosophy of yours as a writer? Or was it more a case of it being in keeping with the character and flavour of this particular book? I'm curious to learn what your thoughts are re writing coarse language.
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