Goodreads asked A.C. Flory:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

A.C. Flory I don't think there's a single 'cure' for writer's block because it all depends on why your writing is blocked in the first place.

For me, the block usually happens when my subconscious realises that something I've already written, maybe chapters earlier, is wrong. It could be an 'event' that doesn't work, or the motivation of a key character that is at odds with their core personality, but whatever it is, The Thing has skewed the story into a creative dead end.

When I first started writing fiction, I'd end up not writing anything at all for months on end. Then I'd finally go back to the story and re-read it [to remember what I'd already written]. That would be when I'd notice The Thing. I'd fix The Thing and suddenly, 'hey, I'm on a writing high again!'.

These days, I recognize the problem and instead of going into a slump for 6 months, I go back and search out The Thing. Once I've found it, I bite the bullet and rewrite all the chapters that were affected by it and then I'm good to go again.

It's not a magic bullet, and it's not easy, but learning to trust my subconscious has definitely worked for me.

flag