how to deal with writer’s block when you don’t outline
Outlining doesn’t work for every author (even if it works for me). So how should you confront writer’s block when you’re not sure what might happen next?
After all, it’s all well and good for me to say I always know my ending - but as you point out, how do I get there? How are we supposed to “know” or figure out the next section of our story?
If I’m stuck, I make a list of all the ideas or concepts I want to consider or I know I want to hit (similar to outlining, but a little bit messier). But in this list I take it one step further, and consider all the different ways a story could go, i.e.
What if this character reacted angrily to this situation? Sadly? In denial? What could push them to react in each way and why?
What does my character want in this moment? What are they afraid of?
What would make this character or situation change (unexpected beliefs or viewpoints, personal failings or successes, etc.)? What sort of change is interesting to yourself as the author?
If your characters are discussing an aspect of worldbuilding, the inability to move forward may be because you haven’t fleshed out the worldbuilding they’re discussing (i.e. politics, economics, trade, etc.) well enough yet.
Write an AU or canon divergence of your own story. Explore as many different possibilities or reactions as you can. Make a list
As you can see, a lot of writer’s block - any kind - usually comes down to a struggle with some sort of characterization. When I’m struggling with how a scene would be executed, it’s almost always because I’m not entirely sure how my characters would react (or how to phrase it). So I would suggest looking at possible characterization struggles of your own in this case. Even the most plot heavy story is really tied to character reaction (and action) in some way.
If it’s an original work, that can be trickier. Most of my advice is already dispensed above, but here’s a few more tips
If it’s a romance or realistic fiction, what are your characters going to hide and why? No one is entirely truthful all the time, especially about things that are embarrassing or make them vulnerable. What do other characters think someone is not being truthful about (even if they are)?
If it’s something like fantasy or sci fi with higher stakes, I always ask my characters three questions: What would completely break them? and What do they want and what they willing to justify to get it?
You will pretty naturally write double meanings and layers into your work. One of my favourite things is having a character make a choice and the readers/other characters think they know the reason for it - a sound reason, often, too - and it’s later revealed there was another reason for (either in addition or one that flat out took priority). Same goes for metaphors and meanings. These are things that can always be considered!
The theme or meaning of your piece is your guiding principle. Almost every scene can chip away at it a little. I’m not saying to make sure every single scene is super important to theme or meaning; you can wear yourself out thinking like that, juggling too many things at once. But this connects back to “what do you want the takeaway emotion of this section/scene to be” and often times something that connects to a theme (proving yourself, healing, regret, etc. or even all three in the same work) can be a helpful guiding tool. It can even be as simple as “i want my characters to do something fun in this scene”
Always consider emotional continuity! Are your characters coming up to a section where they’re processing what’s happening around them? Or are they in a section where they just have to keep going? Is this a breathing moment for your story? Follow accordingly. This is not to say your characters always have to react like real people (I would have a breakdown after just one day in most of my characters’ lives let alone a week dear god), fiction is escapism and to a certain degree unrealistic by extension. But figuring out whether you want a big emotional focus in this section or to be more plot focused can always be useful!
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