When we are writing our novels, be it for NaNoWriMo or not, we can all reach phases in the writing where we become stuck. We either feel completely blocked, with no inspiration at all, or we are able to write, but feel it is lifeless and dull. There are many tips out there for gently reigniting our inspiration, but sometimes what we actually need to do is experiment with something drastic. Here are a few ideas…
1) Without any warning, make something dramatic happen – From nowhere, a space ship crash lands, slap bang in the middle of your story. Or maybe the building across the road suddenly explodes. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t fit for now, that’s what editing is for. How do your characters react to, and deal with, this sudden catastrophe? As you start writing about this event and the aftermath, an interesting thing will happen. Not only will you almost certainly have fun writing it, but you will very likely learn new things about your characters. Perhaps one of your characters will take charge of the situation and you will see that they have leadership qualities that you weren’t aware of; does this give you an idea for another situation in your story where their leadership qualities could be used? Or maybe one of your characters is so traumatised by the event, it reveals a flashback to a past trauma they experienced which adds another layer to their personality that can be used later on. In real life, when people are thrown into extreme situations, they often reveal sides to their personalities that are otherwise hidden, so throw your characters into extreme situations, and see what they reveal.
2) Bring in something from another genre or time period – Similar to above, but this time it isn’t something huge or dramatic, but it is something that is definitely out of place in the story. You’re writing a mainstream fiction story set in New York city, a couple of your characters are strolling through Central Park when they stumble across a fairy nest. Or you’re writing a historical drama, and one of the characters comes across an iPad. As with the first point, by writing about how your characters react to what they have found, you will almost certainly learn something new about them, which may in turn inspire you to add new elements to your story.
3) Kill off your protagonist – He’s crossing the road, a bus runs over him. Gone. In an instant. What kind of hole does he leave? Can the story carry on without him? Are the other characters interesting and strong enough to take the story forward? Of course you’re not likely to want to really kill off your protagonist, but thinking about what would happen if you did can help you gain a different perspective on your story. In the real world, everything doesn’t hang off one person. Imagining your story without your protagonist may help you realise that other characters and aspects of your story need to be strengthened to make them worthy in their own right, and not just as props for your protagonist. It can help ensure your story is well balanced if you can clearly identify which aspects are dependent on the protagonist and which are not.
It can feel like a waste of time to bring elements into your story which you know you are unlikely to keep, but any time spent on stimulating ideas, and getting to know your characters better, is actually time very well spent.
Do you ever try bringing things into your story that you know probably won’t stay, just to see what happens?
