Getting Unstuck without Coming Unglued

One of the hardest things about writing is finding yourself stuck . .   especially when you’re on a deadline. First, it’s just a moment of irritation—Why won’t these characters do what I want them to and get on with solving the mystery?—then panic sets in. Many of us spend literally years crafting our first book and then we are given a three book contract with the second book due in six months. Yikes!

There are a few causes of “stuck” that I’ve heard people talk about:

1. 1. You’re a pantser (like I usually am) and you’ve written your characters into a corner
2. 2. You got bored with the book you’re writing (this mostly happens in the long middle)
3. 3. You didn’t give yourself enough meat for the book you’re writing, so the end is looming too quickly (this happens to both plotters and pantsers)

The first is the one that usually gets me into trouble. And there are two fixes I’ve found for it. The first occurs when I look at the situation and ask “Would my character really have gotten into this situation?” and the answer is “Not if I expect readers to respect her intelligence.” Then either I can take out the sticky situation entirely or I can write in an “out” that my character has given herself.

That’s always the first question. Because I stop reading many mysteries based on what in the romance industry is called the TSTL character. Too Stupid To Live. It’s the last thing I want to write, though it does make for an easy plot.

If the answer is yes, the question becomes “Well, then, being true to the character’s strengths and weaknesses, what can I have her do?” And sometimes, the answer is “nothing.” But by the time I get to “nothing,” I’ve walked back through what led up to the blockage a couple of times, seen the surrounding characters enough, and found a place to give their strengths a chance to shine. Or given the villain a chance to make a mistake. Not a big one—if your villain is TSTL, that’s not a good story, either—but just enough of one to give the hero an out.

Now, boredom is another issue entirely. If you’re bored with your story, readers will be, too. But I’ve learned that, for me, what “boredom” usually means is that I am avoiding something. If I say “I’m bored” what it really means is “there’s something scary here.” I don’t want to put my characters where they need to be, or I don’t want them to learn a hard lesson that needs learning. That may not be true for you, but what I’ve found is that looking squarely at my story and asking what I’m scared of will help.

The third problem is probably the easiest. If you’re not on a deadline for a publisher, you can write the book at whatever length appeals. If you are under contract for a certain length of book, adding a subplot or a new “pinch point” in the plot that will cause complications. What kind of trouble can you make for your story using the character’s goals? This can be, dare I say it, fun?

I’d love to hear from you—when do you get stuck and how do you get unstuck?

—Laura K. Curtis

Laura K. Curtis gave up a life writing dry academic papers for writing decidedly less dry short crime stories and novel-length romantic suspense and contemporary romance. A member of RWA, MWA, ITW, and Sisters in Crime, she has trouble settling into one genre. In 2015 alone, she has two romantic suspense novels—Echoes and Mind Games—from Penguin, a self-published contemporary in her “Goody’s Goodies” series about women who sell adult toys, and a short Gothic piece in Protectors 2: Heroes, an anthology to benefit PROTECT.org.