Babel Clash

So, it turns out that I did jinx myself the other day. Fabulous!

It’s not writer’s block. I’ll call it a…conundrum. A twist in the story. A sense that something is not quite right.

I printed out the book. I’m going to read it through. Contemplate what works and what doesn’t. Try to find the fun again.

At Comic Con, a very sweet young woman asked me about writer’s block and how I handle it. What I told her is that it has been a process. When I first began doing this professionally — when I had my first deadline, and a story that had to be written, and oh Lord what happens next was always on my mind, without any good answer — I would keep trying to bang at the wall until something broke. That was my answer to writer’s block.

Except nothing would break. I was writing a story that had gone off the rail, because I didn’t want to backtrack and throw out all that other work I’d done. I was hoarding. I was hiding. I was being a coward with the words.

Don’t be afraid to throw out your words. That’s what I learned. Because, just between you and me, you never really lose anything (unless your computer goes bonkers, but that’s another story). Salvage what you can, place it in another part of the book…but don’t hold on to what doesn’t work, even if it’s beautiful writing. You’ll drive yourself crazy.

So, as I said, I’m going to sit back today with a cup of hot tea and the manuscript in my hand…I’ll read with a pen, and something sweet to eat.   I’ll take a walk in the sunshine, and go through those pages.

I’ll think about the book. I’ll think about the kind of story I’m trying to tell, and I’ll figure out what needs to come next — what to keep, and what to discard — and I won’t hit the wall. I’ll just climb it.

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