Q&A WITH FARAH GHUZNAVI: The Writer's Wilderness Survival Kit

QTN: I am writing a novel and am about 10 chapters in. Now my character has come to a critical point where she is debating on the meaning of her life. I feel stuck and depressed like my main character! How do I shake off my writer's block?

ANS: As any writer knows, it is essential to get inside the heads of your characters, but it sounds to me as if you may have taken this a bit too far! Maybe you should take a step back. When you are planning a lengthy project, it is good to have the different steps worked out in some detail. In the case of a novel, this could mean having an outline of the story, with the events taking place in various chapters clearly laid out. This makes your own thought processes easier for you to recall as you are writing each section, and it also makes it simpler for you to pick up on any flaws in your story arc, or potential weaknesses in your plot.

If you have already prepared an outline of your novel, and still find yourself stuck in chapter 10, it is probably worth remembering that you don't have to write this novel in the sequence in which you have plotted it. Look at the elements of the story that belong in some of the other chapters. If there is any part of the overall story that you feel excited about, then give yourself permission to work on that chapter rather than trying to plough your way through a section where you are stuck. You can always go back to the point where you were stuck and resume work there. But you are likely to be able to do so more successfully after you have made some progress with the writing, especially if work has been flowing well on another chapter.

Another strategy to follow when you are stuck is to just take a break from the work. Do something completely different, and give yourself permission to enjoy that time out. Otherwise there's no point. Take a few days and spend time with friends, do some reading, go for walks, listen to music and generally try to have a good time. If you really try to relax, it is likely that your unconscious mind will in any case continue working on your story, and when you return to it, you may find that you feel more inspired.

When you do return to work, you can start by reading through the chapters you have already written. Don't start revising the earlier chapters, just do a simple read-through. This is likely to remind you of the logic of your story and perhaps give you the impetus you need to get past the point at which you started coming undone. It's a simple strategy, but can be surprisingly effective.

Finally, at a point when you are persistently stuck on a particular project, consider working on something else: a short story, an article, a poem, or even another novel. This may sound counterintuitive, but it has the effect of taking the pressure off you in terms of working on that particular story, while still allowing you to feel creative and productive because you are working on something! Above all, be patient with yourself. Writing is not easy work, and there are always times when the process is harder. With humour and flexibility, you can usually find your way out of most creative quandaries.

Send Farah Ghuznavi your writing queries to DSLitEditor@gmail.com