Waiting For It

I'm in the middle of the second book in a series of books.  I almost always write from an outline, but I let the story and the characters to also have some say in how the book goes.  The outline for this book has changed significantly so many times because I see the possibilities.  In fact, while this will annoy the editor of the first book in the series, I see that I'm going to have to reach back into that book to make a significant addition.

Anyway, as I write, sometimes I feel like I've hit a brick wall.  I consult my outline for security and purpose, but if I'm letting the story grow somewhat organically, then I can feel lost.  These are scary times.

Most of the time, I push through, but sometimes I need to let the idea percolate and grow in a natural way.  This lets me get my mind around it.  Since I have to do something and make some forward progress, I sometimes take a break and write a short story.  Sometimes, I go back into the story and either do some back-filling, where I brush up what I've written or I edit.

Lawrence Block calls this stalling "Creative Procrastination."  You're waiting for the idea to mature a bit or the inspiration to hit.  Stephen King said in his book on writing, "On Writing," that he ran into the brick wall with his book "The Stand."  (This is a favorite of mine and many of his loyal readers.)  He reported that it took some time, but the answer came to him and we was able to proceed.  (Thanks goodness because it's a great book.)

I just had a period of unsure footing as I wrote, but I broke through and now the words are flowing effortlessly.  So, my advice, if you've hit the proverbial brick wall, sometimes it pays to wait and come back to it.  Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't write, but maybe write something else and wait for the inspiration.