Have you ever been stuck in a writing rut?
Two-year-old Alex frequently uses the word "stuck." He shouts it when he wants to get out of his car seat or his mealtime booster chair. Recently he yelled, "STUCK!" at The Magic House Children's Museum.
A family member sent him down the spiral slide from the second story. Half way between the two floors he spread eagle and refused to move. No matter how I coaxed him, he insisted he was STUCK. And he was, even though it was of his own volition. I had to go in for the rescue. It wasn't a pretty sight, and I was afraid I'd get STUCK too, for real!
I touched his foot and convinced him I had him. He turned loose and sped past me, almost knocking me off my feet. Relieved he laughed, and I hugged him.
Have you ever gotten stuck in your writing? Completely stuck? Every time I try to write short fiction, I get to a point where I cannot figure out what to write next. Happens all the time. So, I place my story in a folder labeled STUCK, and I wait. Sometimes a day, a week, a month, or longer.
Has anyone ever given you a helping hand? Liam and Alex wanted to join hands with the sculpture kids for a pretend game of Ring Around the Rosie.
I'm grateful other writers have helped me, therefore I help others. Some times you might just need a new person to view your work. Somebody to point out the good, and then gently critique or offer a positive suggestion. Or to offer a suitable market for your work.
Take a peek at old files and see if you can tweak them into something that makes you WANT to write today. Click Here for a list of possible publishing opportunities.
10 comments:
Whether we like it or not, we sometimes get 'stuck' in all sorts of situations. When we hear the word coming from a child, it all becomes more vivid.
The picture of the boys between the two sculptures is priceless!
Wow, thanks for all the calls for submissions, Linda! I don't know where you find these! :)
Thanks or the opportunities you linked. Thank you for your positive example and your ability to critique/encourage me.
I think I may be unstuck now.
The motto of one of my writer groups (Saturday Writers) is "Writers Encouraging Writers". I think this is so true in the world of writing - we help each other. :-)
Whew! I'm glad Alex didn't knock you off your feet!
I've been stuck for a couple years now. Can't get motivated. Maybe one of your links will light a fire under me. Thanks for all the times you've given me a helping hand!
Thanks for this, Linda. Alex isn't the only one you "un-stuck". :)
I love your idea of a STUCK folder! We all get stuck sometimes, don’t we, but I loved how you had to go and rescue Alex. Yikes! You do have fun with those boys! πππ
Hi Linda...
I think you are a great-grandmother extraordinaire. You always come to the rescue! Good for you. Hope you have a great day today. Susan p.s. Thanks for all the visits and comment on Writing Straight from the Heart. I appreciate every single one. Susan
Rejoining critique group after an absence has ended my writing dry spell. I hope it continues. Since the meeting is at your house, I have to give all the credit to you! Thank you!
Cute story about Alex getting stuck. Thank you for always being encouraging to fellow writers and for sharing the list of publishing opportunities.
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