Writing a novel...writer's block....help?

Question

I have been writing my novel since July. It's a really good story so far...but...I cant seem to write any more....
It's like, I cant write unless I'm at my dad's house for some reason...but there's a problem....my dad lives 1,814 miles away...so...what should I do? What could spark my writing again?

Answer 1

I have the same problem with any novel I try to write. (Not the distance thing, the just not being able to write anymore) What you need to do is outline the entire book, scene by scene by scene. YOU HAVE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. Trust me, you can't just let it flow, you need to know what's going on. You're not a reader, you're a writer, and you have to hold the key.

So write the outline, and when you feel like writing a scene with a lot of dialouge, look at your list and write that scene. And when you need to do a boring scene, write that. Then join them all together. This way you don't write straight through, which is really difficult. You can pick and choose what you're going to write. Keep it all in order, though!

Answer 2

Maybe having a picture of your dad or his house near where you are writing will help. Try to imagine yourself in his house, and you should be able to write. If this doesn't work, don't worry. Many great writers get writers block. Try taking a break from writing and don't stress about it. One day it'll just come to you, and you'll be pounding out the rest of your novel.

Answer 3

Did you use cards and paper to plan your writing out? If so, this will help you out a great deal. If you have cards with character names, relationships, descriptions, and other information, you can go back over them and get an idea of what you wanted the book to be about from the beginning.
If you just started writing one day, now might be a good time to write down some info about your characters, such as: their discription, their turn ons and their turn offs, their relationship with other characters, why they exsist in the store, what role they play, how important they are, etc.

Answer 4

Try and outline the rest of the book. Just use a sentence, like

Joe the hero goes underground.
Jill the heroine gets a haircut and her life is forever changed.
Joe the hero comes back above ground to fight the dinosaur.
Joe sees Jill with her new haircut and doesn't feel the same way about her.

See, something like that. You don't have to use I, II, III, A. B. C.

God bless and get writing.

Answer 5

Incorporate the dilemma into your novel somehow...perhaps a character in your book could have an experience in which he/she needs to get back to a childhood location for some purpose and is having difficulty with that...You know, use the lemons/make lemonade solution...And do keep the 1,814 number in there as the mileage -- I find it interesting that you would bother to include that 14 miles in your question...just let the uneasiness of your situation seep into your story somehow...the tension of it could help you express some untapped creativity...

Answer 6

i don't think it matter where you are ; what matters is having a quiet place ' a room of your own' as virginia woolf said.
i had that for monts and i had a serious break from the work and then the spark came back. if you're psychologically connected to your father have a pic of him near by that you can look at or if you're connected to his house, find something that reminds you of that place and the frame of mind it puts you. good luck.

Answer 7

Put pictures of your dad and his house on your desk. Write at the same time of day, in an equivalent room.

Answer 8

For me, reading helps me write. Read books by your favorite authors, even if you've read them already. Soon or later your bound to come across a chapter or paragraph or sentence that sparks an idea. I usually take note (for future reference) of certain passages that really provoke me to want to write; that way I just go back to that one passage and rekindle my creativity.

Answer 9

take a break from thinking about it. Go for a nature walk look and just let your mind wander. take a tape recorder with you and note anything that comes to mind and listen to it later. It may jump start you.

If that doesn't work, looks like it's time to visit dad! Good luck

Answer 10

Maybe you can try and call your dad to tell him your problem?

Otherwise, you're going to be stuck trying to finish that book of yours. :0)

My advice is to keep plugging away anyways. Have a picture of your dad sitting in front of you or something.