Surviving A Block - Part 1

I don’t like using the term writer’s block (mostly because of the stigma attached to it), but I’m going to use it here, with an explanation of what it means to me.  A block is when you get somewhere with the story that you’re stuck and you can’t figure out how to continue.

Here is a guide to surviving in such a situation, inspired by the U.S. Army Field Manual 3-05.70 Survival, but changed to fit this situation.

Size Up the Situation

When you first encounter a block, you need to figure out what is causing it.  Orson Scott Card said that writer’s block is your mind’s way of letting you know there is something wrong with your story.  First, you must identify the problem.  If you don’t know what your protagonist should do next, your character doesn’t have a clear enough goal for the story/chapter/scene.  If you don’t know how your protagonist will escape the boiling tar pit, you might have put him in the wrong situation (or you just need to think more).  Figure out what the problem is so that you can address it.  If it is a problem that will need you to change something to fix it, continue with the rest of the steps.

Use All Your Senses, Undue Haste Makes Waste

When you’ve identified the problem, don’t take the easy way out just to get on with the story.  This could simply lead to more problems in the future.  Most blocks will be the result of a problem earlier on in the story, so you can’t fix only the one problem and expect things to go smoothly.  Don’t rush into it and make sure you think everything through.  The same applies to Sizing the Situation Up in the first place.  Don’t jump to conclusions, rather make certain.

Remember Where You Are

Ensure that you are aware of your location in the story when you want to make changes.  Know what has happened and what still has to happen.  Figure out what things will need to change in your previous pages/notes/flashcards in order to accommodate these new developments.  If the new changes severs a thread that would have led to a plot point further on, you either need a new solution or you need to change that point as well.  (Note: It is advised that (unless you’re still in the planning stages) you should make only notes of the changes that need to occur in earlier parts and only fix them later.)

Vanquish Fear and Panic

It is important that you do not cling to certain aspects that are hindering your story.  Don’t be afraid to change things or cut out great moments.  In most cases, your story will turn out better.  If not, you can always add it back in.  (Make a file with all the parts that you cut, instead of just deleting them.)  Fear of changing things can also make you procrastinate, which will push your target of finishing a story on by some time.  Set fear aside and do what needs to be done.

(This came out longer than I expected, so I’m splitting it up into two parts.)

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Crafting a Story : Summary

I’m going to work through some of the backstory to get the entire thing in correct chronological order.  I’ll go into detail on some points and skim over others.

Henry, after a day of working in his store, goes to the café on the corner.  While he’s looking for bread that hasn’t expired, Jasmine enters, followed by Irwin a few seconds later.  Irwin walks around the back, not seeing Henry, and pulls on his mask as Henry watches.  Irwin realises that Henry had seen his face and contemplates killing him, but decides against it.  Instead, he tells Henry to forget his face.  He pulls Henry to the front counter and leaves him there, after which he demands money and grabs Jasmine as a hostage.

After he gets the money, Irwin drags Jasmine out, holding the gun at his side.  Henry summons up his courage and grabs the gun.  Irwin releases Jasmine and fights Henry for it, and in the struggle, it goes off, hitting Irwin in the chest.

Henry is not charged and Irwin dies.  Jasmine falls in love with Henry.  She then starts to visit him in his shop often and they start to form a sort of relationship.  Jasmine, still feeling guilty about Irwin’s death, arranges a séance with Irwin’s spirit.  It awakens him and he is in a frenzy, breaking apart some of the house.  The medium chases Jasmine out.

Meanwhile, Henry attends the reading of the will of his uncle, in which he receives a house in the woods.  (I’ll probably start the actual story here) When he sees Jasmine again, he sees she looks a bit strained (because of the séance) and he decides to invite her with him to go look at the house that weekend.

The two hike up to the house late afternoon.  Irwin’s spirit goes with them, and he tries to extend his reach into their world, because he is angry.  When the two go to sleep, they hear noises and so forth.  Henry dismisses it sounds of an old house, while Jasmine worries.

The next day, all sorts of weird things start happening.  Irwin is starting to gain control of his outside environment and he starts opening and closing drawers and so on.  Henry checks out the house to see if it’s in good condition.  Jasmine sees the things happen first.  After a while, Henry also sees them.  It’s a bit creepy, but he cannot let himself believe in the supernatural, so he does not run while he can.

It gets dark and Henry and Jasmine are back inside the house.  Irwin uses telekinesis to reform his shape (somewhat) and speaks through a speaker (not very clearly) and doesn’t reveal much except that he is Irwin.  At this point, Henry is freaking out and Irwin starts throwing knives.

They try to run out of the house, but the doors won’t open.  Jasmine, with her knowledge of the supernatural, leads Henry to the bunker at the back of the house, which is made of solid iron, making it a safe haven from Irwin.

They make some attempts to get out, but Irwin stops them everywhere.  Eventually, Irwin speaks to them again, calling Jasmine out on her betrayal (thus revealing her involvement in the robbery).  Henry panics, thinking that Jasmine had led him into a trap.  He locks himself in the bunker, leaving her outside.  Irwin kills her.

With Jasmine dead and himself trapped, Henry breaks down.  But eventually he musters up courage, to get out and get revenge at the same time, and kills Irwin in some way (maybe stabbing his pseudo-physical form with an iron shaft).

That is pretty much how the story will go.  I’ll try and catch the main idea in a high concept next week.

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Structure of Story

Side Note:  I got distracted and forgot to post yesterday.  So let’s just pretend that it’s Friday today, hm?

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I talked about structure a while ago.  Structure should never be used to develop a story, but it can be used for a good purpose.  Particularly if you are stuck with a scene or a sequence, structure can be a huge help to figure out what’s wrong.  I learned this from David Baboulene’s book, the Story Book, so if you want to know about structure, story or subtext, visit his blog or buy his book.

Baboulene says somewhere that every story is basically the classic three act structure – a small beginning, act one, the long middle, act two and the short end, act three.  No matter what structure you used, the three act structure will probably apply.  Structure goes even deeper.  Every act in your story will also have a three act structure.  Each of those acts has a three act structure.  Every scene has a three act structure.  You can literally break every piece of your story into three pieces, the build-up to the problem, the conflict and complication of the problem, and the resolution, win or lose.

When you take this into account, each scene (and story, and sequence etc.) should have a protagonist (for that specific part; thus the person who has the most to lose in that particular part), and he should want something, and something should stand in his way.  Then he attempts to overcome this and he either wins or loses.

I find this breakdown of things into buildable blocks very useful because it allows you to take a scene (or story or sequence) apart and figure out which part isn’t working.  When you work with a small part, finding the problem is much easier.

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