Hitting the Wall with Guest Blogger Mia Ross

Hitting the Wall...

Good morning, Seekerville! Mia Ross here with a high five for all those brave souls tackling Speedbo this month. I chickened out this year, so I admire your dedication :)

But for right now, take your hands off the keyboard, stretch out those weary fingers, and relax for a few minutes. I know you've got a writing goal for today, and I promise not to mess up your schedule too much. For those of you who are on target--fantastic! You don't need any help from me. But if you're not quite on track, this post is for you.

You see, I've been there. In truth, I get there with every book because I'm an unapologetic pantser. I have to write a synopsis ahead of time for my editor, but beyond that I don't have a strategy. My creative self just doesn't respond well to outlines, storyboards, and character sketches. Anything resembling planning sends my muse into hiding, because she likes to do things HER way. Now, that doesn't mean she runs the show, but when I try to force things, the story falls apart and I--yes---hit a wall. Not just any wall, but one that's way taller than me, extending out into the fog so I can't see where it ends.

Folks much smarter than me recommend writing through a block, others suggest taking some time off to reset. The problem is, if you're trying to write a book in a month, you don't have the luxury of taking even a day off. This is actually great practice for later on when you have an editor waiting for your next book so she can get it into production for its release date. If you can learn to handle this kind of problem now, later on you'll know which approach works for you.

Me, I can't go through a wall, because if I could I wouldn't have hit it in the first place. I've tried digging under it, but that gets messy :) What works for me is to skirt around it. If you're in a bad spot, leave yourself a note and move ahead in the story. When you get farther on, it may become obvious what's not working and you can go back to fill in the trouble spot. Or you may decide the block came from a thread that doesn't fit the way you thought it would--or where you thought it would.

If you're still frazzled, that's okay. Spinning stories out of thin air is fun, but it's not easy, and you're bound to run into obstacles now and then. Remember: the point of Speedbo--or any writing for that matter--is to end up with a DRAFT, not a polished manuscript. The important thing is to get the story down, not sweat every little detail. So put aside the knot for now and start edging along that wall. Chances are, it's not as wide as you thought :)

Today, I'm giving away 3 copies of A Place for Family, the final book in my Sawyers series. It's my fourth novel for Love Inspired, which proves you can hit lots of walls and still keep on truckin'. 

Speedbo Prizes Listed Here.