You’ve been writing away when suddenly terror strikes. The dreaded scene you can’t get past. You procrastinate. You wash the dog, make brownies, tell the neighbor their tree is dropping nasty little berries all over your patio….
Maybe you’ve written the scene already and now are in the first or second run-through. And everything is humming along when….there it is. That scene. It sticks out like a sore hangnail. No matter how many times you write or re-write it, you hate it. Here’s what to do:
Get rid of it. Maybe it’s not supposed to be there.
Ask if it’s linked to the last or next scene? What was the point anyway?
Again, quit trying to re-write it or change it and take it out completely.
Start from scratch with it.
Read on ahead and get a real feel for what comes next.
Write it super badly, make a note and come back later.
Do not sit around all day on it. Get through it and forget it.
What ends up happening is you become less focused on the rest of your writing. Getting hung up on one scene increases the likelihood of getting stuck on more. Now, that’s not to say in final edits it doesn’t have to be seriously addressed. All I’m saying from experience is quit letting a few sentences or paragraphs ruin your flow of writing, your mental track and your confidence. If it’s a few pages or chapters…then you have a bigger problem. But still fixable. The above still applies.
McKenzie Devlin 