Is It Time to Let Go?

Today my guest is R. Sampson, who is discussing 'letting go', which may be hard for some of us, especially when we love our prose. There's some good advice here, so read on.

You have been working on a writing project for a while now. You thought about the plot and the characters and outlined every part of the story. Then without warning, all of a sudden, you hit a brick wall. The problem arises when your great idea just won't work anymore and now you're stuck. Does this sound like you? Are you "married" to an idea or phrase that you absolutely love, but for someone reason it won't fit into you book, paper, script, or project? Don't worry. You are not the only author that goes through this process. You might just need to rework you idea to make it fit or in the worst of circumstances, you might need a "divorce."

Let's start at the stage when you realize that you hit a road block and you are trying to find a way around it. Below are some techniques that you can use if you are in such a situation.

1. Talk to a friend- If you are stuck trying to implement an idea, put the pen down. Look around your room and find a stuffed animal or cardboard cutout. He is you new best friend. Explain all of your ideas out loud and record yourself doing it. If you feel comfortable sharing with a real person, you can always ask a friend or family member what they think.

2. Skip to another section of the assignment and start writing there. For example, if you are stuck at the beginning of the story, skip to how you want it to end and work backwards.

3. Brainstorm new ideas that are similar. For example: Say you really like the phrase, "Just Do It" but you know it reminds people of Nike. So instead you can change it to "Take A Chance." It has the same meaning, but is phrased differently.