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| Photo credit: colemama on Flickr |
For some people, this stage comes in the middle of the WIP, for others it strikes shortly after the beginning or even at the end. The when doesn't really matter—the point is that it often strikes, sometimes randomly, often unexpectedly, and it can be very difficult to get through.
For me, I've noticed that I tend to slow down at the end. Even when I know exactly how the WIP will end, even when I have a scene-by-scene breakdown, I often find that for me, the end is the hardest part to write. I'm not sure if it's the pressure of trying to write an ending that simultaneously excites and ties up loose ends and creates a sense of closure, but my point of resistance invariably strikes as I near the completion of the first draft of my WIP.
The trouble is that there isn't a guaranteed cure. There isn't a special book you can read, or diet you can eat that will magically make the words start to flow like they did before you hit the resistance. There's only one thing you can really do to get through it, and it's the one thing that at that point in time, you'll find most difficult.
You have to write.
The truth is this: the only cure for the point of resistance is to force yourself to get through it. To write even when writing is difficult. To break through the resistance with the only weapon you have—your words.
Sometimes the resistance breaks quickly and the words return as normal, and sometimes it takes many thousands of words and days or weeks of fighting to emerge victorious. But as long as you fight through it, you'll find the words again soon.
What tips do you have for writing through resistance? Do you have a common resistance point?
For me, I've noticed that I tend to slow down at the end. Even when I know exactly how the WIP will end, even when I have a scene-by-scene breakdown, I often find that for me, the end is the hardest part to write. I'm not sure if it's the pressure of trying to write an ending that simultaneously excites and ties up loose ends and creates a sense of closure, but my point of resistance invariably strikes as I near the completion of the first draft of my WIP.
The trouble is that there isn't a guaranteed cure. There isn't a special book you can read, or diet you can eat that will magically make the words start to flow like they did before you hit the resistance. There's only one thing you can really do to get through it, and it's the one thing that at that point in time, you'll find most difficult.
You have to write.
The truth is this: the only cure for the point of resistance is to force yourself to get through it. To write even when writing is difficult. To break through the resistance with the only weapon you have—your words.
Sometimes the resistance breaks quickly and the words return as normal, and sometimes it takes many thousands of words and days or weeks of fighting to emerge victorious. But as long as you fight through it, you'll find the words again soon.
What tips do you have for writing through resistance? Do you have a common resistance point?
