Just Write Something. Anything.

When faced with writer's block, how many of us have heard the advice that we just need to write something? Anything.

I've been in that situation as I "pantsed" several reworks and first drafts of novels. It never worked. Nothing happened. I ended up with 25,000 words of tedious description and inane dialogue.

Where I went wrong was that I didn't know my story. I forced the words down without taking the necessary time to figure some things out first. like character motivation and conflict, and backstory that can provide the driving emotions of a story (fear, pain, loss).

So while I think the advice about writing anything is actually good, it's easy to make the mistake of pushing through just to hit a daily word count. Especially if you don't know where to go next.

All writing is valuable. But if the words aren't coming or your story has stalled, why not grab that nice notebook you've been waiting for a reason to use and free write? Explore ideas, motivations, emotions, a dialogue exchange, a setting, or journal about events from your childhood. You're still writing, and you just might discover the key that opens the next room in your story.