Recently I struggled with a bit of writers block, and I was feeling a bit guilty I wasn't finished any of my books yet. I thought maybe I was just distracted. I really want to finish my books, but a gazillion other thoughts start popping into my head when I start writing so I scramble to write everything down before I forget. I don't write all the time so when the feeling does come it just flows like a waterfall and I have to take advantage of it!To help me with this waterfall predicament I have decided to start carrying a notebook for when I think of random scenes. If I don't write it down right away it will leave me just as quickly as it comes; and it will stress me out when I do find time to actually sit down and write, which will then create this horrible writer's block I so desperately want to avoid. I don't worry too much about writing in order because I know I can always go back and put them into coherent thoughts later.
In fact, I tend approach my writing like a puzzle. First, I start with separating all the end pieces. Second, I take the random pieces and organize them by color. Third, I go back and put all the end pieces together. Finally, I find the pieces that fit together with the outer pieces (by color of course) and work my way in, until the last piece is put into place.
Writing random scenes whenever they come may seem a little backwards to some, but I have never really done anything in order. Growing up, when I took tests in school, I would always start with the last question first and work my way backward. It was much less stressful for me. It seemed to take the pressure off of getting a perfect score. Ironically though, what i was left with, was a 100 almost every time. Its the same with my writing. If I start at the end and work my way to the beginning it doesn't feel as stressful. This makes it more enjoyable and takes the pressure off of me writing the perfect book, which in turn, helps with the infamous writers block.
So I'm curious: What helps you get through the writing process?
