This is the story of how I beat one of the worst cases of writer’s block in my life.

I’ve posted about writer’s block in the past. It’s a subject many others have written about.

But I’m bringing it up now because just a couple months ago, I had the strongest case of writers block in my life. However, with the help of a friend and some fan fiction, I managed to break through.

I was working on a project I’d been focused on for months. I’d completed a rough draft (emphases on “rough”) and was organizing the scenes/chapters with a post-draft outline. (as I’ve said before I tend to outline after the first draft). However, while I was working on this outline, I realized there was a section of the story that just wasn’t working.

I knew the first half very well, and was very happy with the fourth quarter but the 50% to 75% section was a gaping black hole. Connecting the first half with the final quarter was like connecting an American electrical plug with a European electrical socket. It simply didn’t fit . I wasn’t getting any electricity.

How I Found That Adapter

1. If you want to beat writer’s block, the first step is to accept that what you’re doing isn’t working. Essentially I was banging my head against a wall and giving myself a headache. I needed to step back, take a break.  
2. I took a couple hours to work on something else. It was a work of fan fiction I’d had rattling around inside my brain. I have zero interest in sharing it with anyone (maybe my wife). At first writing something I was never going to publish felt like a waste of time, but it helped me. It freed my brain from the stress of writing something others would see and reminded me why I love storytelling.
3. I noticed there were similar themes between my major project and the fan fic. It was as if an alternative version of my novel was being told through the story.
4. I scavenged the fan fiction, searching for story elements and plot points I could use in the larger project.
5. I returned to the initial project feeling refreshed and outlined what I now knew needed to happen in that missing 25% . All I jotted down was what I had already planned. I didn’t stress about filling in every blank hole, I simply recorded what was already in my head.  
6. The next day I called up a friend I trust and told him the entire story beginning, middle and end. I understand this is something many people are reluctant to do. Personally I avoid doing this before I the second draft. But it helped A LOT. My friend is great at this. He just patiently sat back and listened. When I reached the sections of the story with gaps they started to fill in. Before I knew it, most of that missing 25% felt pretty solid (and I’m sure they’ll be filled in by the time I get there).  
7. I thanked my friend.
8. The next morning I filled in the outline and read it over to make sure it made sense.
9. I wrote the fricken story.

If you don’t feel comfortable telling your story to another human being, try an animal.

And it came out great. I’m really proud of my latest draft and soon it’ll be ready for people to read!

The condensed version of my steps are: 1) I stepped away. 2) Worked on something else. 3) Searched for anything in my other project(s) that could help me. 4) Told a friend the story.  5) Returned to the project.

This exact strategy might not work every time but it pulled me out of the bog and got me back on track.