I suppose it happens to every author. You hit a writing slump. I have been in a bad one for the last month and a half. Every line of dialogue has felt stale, every story twist seems contrived. Part of this has been that I have been very busy in my work and personal life, but the real reason for my slump has been a combination of several things.
First, I started (and finished) reading a new series. (For more on this see www.greenbeanteenqueen.com) When I am reading I am not writing, one because I fear that I will unintentionally steal ideas and two because when I actually find a series that I really like I dive into it.
Second, I do not like where I am in the story. My main characters are both in a transition period which is really difficult to write and even more difficult to make interesting.
Third, I think my series is going to run longer than I origionally planned, which to my ADD mind is very hard to deal with until I restructure how I think about the series.
Finally, I am worried about the quality of my work and so it makes me try to avoid working on my story.
So how have a I broken out of this slump? Well credit goes to two people. First to my wife who has been an encouragement to keep writing. She provides me with motivation everyday and is so supportive my my dream to become a professional writer. Second to my critique partner who is a much more talented author than I am, but still takes time to work with me, encourage me, and kick my butt when I need it. (On a side note, when her work gets published you are all in for a real treat!)
But most of all, what has broken this slump is actually writing. Forcing myself to sit down and write. Yesterday I did a guest post on www.greenbeanteenqueen.com. The last night I had a terrible nightmare, the plot of which I am hoping to make into an amazing short story. I am charged up again to write, and I hope that I get to show you some fruit this renewed passion soon.
I would, as always, LOVE to hear your thoughts! My next post will be about what I have gotten done since my first major writing slump.
