Advice for those who are stuck in writing projects

A former co-worker, Tiffany Francis, asked me to issue an EWA on what to do when you're writing something and you get stuck. Read below for suggestions. I thank John Wise, Andrew Szabo, Dan Hardy, Triche Guerin and Dan Sturdivant for recommending me on my LinkedIn profile. If you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn.com, send me an invitation. I would be delighted to return the favor. Below the ''How to Get Unstuck'' article, you will find my essay, ''On Love of Little Words.'' If there are back issues you would like to read again, e-mail me and I will add them to this blog.
--Chuck Lustig

HOW TO GET UNSTUCK

When it comes to writing projects, I used to spend a lot of time being stuck, so let me begin by claiming expert status. This is my Unified Field Theory of Writing Project Stuckness, meaning it applies equally to all writing projects: columns, short stories, theses, articles, poems, novels, brochures, operas, manuals, songs, musicals, business plans, sales presentations, speeches, product descriptions, screenplays, plays, video scripts and non-fiction books. Below I've listed the four reasons people get stuck and strategies for getting yourself unstuck.

1. Reason one: You don't know where to start.

Consider the doctoral candidate who cannot stop researching a thesis and begin outlining (there's so much more to know!), or the novelist who doesn't know where to start a story. Not knowing where to start often comes from being overwhelmed. The subject is so vast; you struggle to find the perfect entry point. Often you have so many facets you want to cover, you are unable to actually begin organizing how you will cover the subject or how the story goes, i.e., what happens first, second, etc. You're stuck.

When you don't know where to start, try this:

Remind yourself that there are two phases to practically any writing project. First, you ''dig up the clay,'' you research, even if it's emotional research. Second, you ''play with the clay.'' Whether it's an historic novel or doctoral thesis, there will come a time when you must stop digging and start playing. The truth is you will always want to dig more; you will feel regret; there will always be more to know! But you must shift from one phase to the other if you want to finish. (And doesn't ''playing'' sound like fun?)

List on paper all the places you could start. Then prioritize them. Decide what's most important to you about the subject, second most important, etc. The number-one item may be your starting place. Then go one step further: Consider that what may be important to you might be boring to your audience, or not as interesting. So, list on paper the topics that, as best as you can tell, are the most interesting to your audience. In each case make sure you are clear on why they are the most interesting. Then prioritize those topics. See if there are differences between the two lists. Perhaps the top ''interest'' item is your starting place.

If your piece is written from one character's point of view, try telling it from another character's point of view.

Or, accept that you won't find a perfect entry point, so stop looking for it. Just find the best entry point and begin. As Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, ''Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.''

To sum up, when you're having this kind of difficulty, try slicing and dicing it in a new way. Then you may be able to find your way forward.

2. Reason two: You don't have enough information or insight.

Sometimes I would struggle for hours before realizing I didn't have enough information. Lack of insight can also stop you in your tracks.

When you don't have enough information or insight, try this:

Decide the people you want to ask for help, and the questions you want to ask them.

Begin thinking about it at a higher level. For example, you may be writing about a merger between two companies when the higher-level issue might be the trend of consolidation in a specific industry or in business in general. Or, you might be writing about the breakup of a marriage without realizing that the higher-level issue is freedom and independence. As when you're gazing at a painting, try squinting your eyes and taking the longer view. Sometimes it helps.

Insight can be gained by seeing how others have handled the same subject or a similar subject. It may be time for a Google search or two, reading other books, watching other movies, or listening to other songs, etc.

3. Reason three: You don't have permission to finish.

By this I mean you have not psychologically given yourself permission to finish the project. Perhaps you don't feel you deserve to finish yet. Finishing is tantamount to achieving success. There are many reasons why people do not feel they are ready to achieve success.

When you don't feel you have permission to finish, try this:

Talk to yourself and listen carefully to what you say about the project and all the reasons you can't finish it, or why it doesn't come up to your standards. Then analyze what you're saying: This may help to give you permission to finish it or insight into how you can finish it.

And consider this: You don't want to bring something to market before it is ready. Doing so could be self-destructive. So, if you wait until you feel more confident, you may be giving yourself a tremendous gift. For the last few months I have made a point of actively manifesting, ''It will be done as soon as it is ready.'' If you live your life believing and manifesting this, it will relieve the pressure of finishing. Oddly, you may wind up finishing a project sooner than if you keep the pressure on. Obviously, self-imposed pressure can be detrimental; it can also cause illness.

4. Reason four: You don't have a clear conception of what the finished piece will sound or feel like.

This is self-evident: If you don't know what you're going for in a scene, a thesis, a chapter or an article, you will have no way of knowing if you've achieved it.

The key thought: Start with the end in mind.

When you don't have a clear conception of how the finished piece will work, try struggling. When nothing else works, give yourself permission to struggle. Give yourself permission to get it wrong, to write drafts that don't work. Struggle, if you must.

Sometimes I don't know how to write the next sentence, but I know how to write the sentence after that or the one after that. So I write what I know and then I go back and fill in what I don't know. You can do the same.

Again, reading or viewing similar works completed by others can be helpful. They may have left a trail of crumbs for you to follow.

Now that you know how to get yourself unstuck, give it a try!