WRITING IN THE FOG

 by Patricia Bradley

One of the questions I’ve been asked over the years is, have you ever had writer’s block? Up until last year, my answer had always been no. But the past year and a half have truly made my ADHD mind wonky. 

I’ve struggled with my last two deadlines, working ten hours a day on Crosshairs (the book to the right) to make the deadline, and then with the next book, Deception I had to ask for an extra six weeks after my daughter ended up in the hospital with Covid pneumonia. 

One way I got past it was to make myself sit behind the computer and write for five minutes with the promise that if I wanted to, I could quit after the five minutes were up. I never did.

I belong to a group of writers and I thought I’d ask several of them how they dealt with writer’s block. Here are what they said. 

My friend, Delores Topliff, author of The Christmas Tree Wars (releasing October 5) says:

I'm in that boat regarding one book I've had to put aside to do a rewrite of another and edits on a third. For me, it's like driving up a steep hill but not having enough momentum to make the summit the first time. I back down, reread what I've written until now, remind myself again of the final destination, and press the gas pedal to start writing." 

I met Kaye Schmitz on an agency cruise, and we really hit it off. Here’s what she does:

For years, I struggled with writing an opening line for new novels to the point I found it paralyzing.  There were times when that issue brought the rest of the entire story to a screeching halt. It wasn’t until I realized that my actual problem was fear of the blank page that I was able to put it behind me and move on. ~ Kaye Schmitz, author of The Road Remembered. You can learn more at www.kayedschmitzauthor.com

Another writer friend is Kelly Irvin, the author of many books! I reviewed her last book, Her Every Move, on my blog. Here's her suggestion:

"If I’m struggling with a scene I find walking away works best. I wash dishes, fold laundry, or take a shower. My brain seems to work on the story in the background. Out of the blue, the answer will appear—especially in the shower or when I’m in bed at night. Then I’m off and running."

Another writer friend is Danielle Haas. She writes general fiction romantic suspense and her last book is Girl Long Gone. It's reassuring that she does what I do!

"When I have writer's block, I make myself sit down and set a timer. I'll start with something simple like ten minutes and tell myself to just sit and write something for ten minutes! Most the time, once I push past the big picture, I can write for the small amount of time which turns into bigger chunks and more words."

I twisted the arm of Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, author of the Inspirational book made into a movie - God Bless the Broken Road. Her latest book is a gritting retelling of a true crime, Hole in the Woods.

"When I get stuck while I'm writing, I have several go-to's to get me "unstuck." #1- I take a long walk. #2- I research, research, research! #3- I talk it out with another writer friend. 

So, now you know at least what six authors do when they get stuck!

Okay, Suspense Sisters readers, what do you do when you have a problem and a deadline to solve it? Leave a comment (you don't have to answer the question) and I'll enter you in a drawing for a $10 gift card. Be sure to leave your email address!

YIKES! I just realized we never had a drawing for Johnnie Alexander's book, The Cryptographer Dilemma! The winner is...BN100!! Congrats!!