In an
article by Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune, prolific novelist Janet
Evanovich reveals how she got into writing when she was in her 30’s:
“In college I was a painter, and all my life I've drawn pictures and painted. It was while I was drawing with my daughter that I realized that every time I was drawing a picture or painting something, I was actually telling a story in my head about what I was drawing,” Evanovich said. “It was like a thunderclap went off in my head and I decided to try writing the story I was drawing.”
That quote gave me another idea for how to deal with the occasional feeling of stuckness that most of us encounter at one time or another with our writing. Even if you’re not much of an artist, why not try telling your story with simple drawings first? Or if it’s a specific character who is eluding you, maybe draw him or her first. Could be a fun way to get your brain buzzing again, ready for you to return to the keyboard.
(one reason writers get blocked is that they have a harsh inner critic--if you do, too, you may be stopping yourself from achieving the success you deserve. For information on how to tame your inner critic, click here.)
