Lately my memoir is just stuck. I’ve hit a difficult chapter on failure and poor decisions I’d rather not face. Reaching into the darkest recesses of my memory, at a time of renewed struggle, has not been easy.
Usually, I’ve bounced between two works when I find the words are not coming. Stephen King’s On Writing and Thriving as a Graduate Writer. The former, fun for me, practical, direct. The later a foray into academic writing with editing tips applicable anywhere. I also try a long walk or a deep podcast like Radiolab or This American Life for inspiration. Nothing seems to work for this hurdle.
So, where do you go and what do you reach for when the words just won’t come?
I find that, for me, the best thing I can do to get around a block is to stop attacking it. My mind works in the background and eventually produces a strong solution.
Some specifics are: long walks during which I intentionally don’t think about that project, a few days writing another section or tackling a different piece entirely, or editing for a while rather than writing. The best thing I can do for a book-length project after the first draft is stop looking at it for a few months, but you can apply the same principle (that taking your conscious mind off the work allows new thoughts to percolate) for any duration during the drafting process.
I agree with Powderhorn’s assessment, though, that your framing of this hurdle sounds less about struggling to compose sentences and more about struggling with the content emotionally. In those cases, I tend to lean on friends or writing partners and aim to talk out/about the issue before putting it to paper.
I hope you find a new creative path forward!
Thanks! Immensely helpful. I appreciate the time you took to respond.