Blockage and we ain't talkin 'bout arteries here folks

Writer's BLOCK!!! Run for your lives!!!

This is something to be feared more than the Dread Pirate Rewrites.

Have I had writer's block? Hmm... In a way I have. Recently I haven't had so much of writer's block as a lack of focus. I know what I want to happen, it's just the words aren't coming as easily as I'd like them and I keep getting distracted. I can't write effectively unless I can really get into Sam's (my protagonist) head. I think this is more imperative when writing in first person.

To be honest, a lot of the time when I'm writing I feel like a method actor. Not that it's possible to go live among werewolves and vampires but if I could... I'd definitely go check it out... At least once.

How do you make a snarky heroine who has the ability to kick ass and take names act scared in a situation? Would she quake in fear? Rage in frustration at being out of control? Make jokes out of nervousness? Fight back with everything she has?

As you see I have a lot of options here and unfortunately Sam isn't speaking to me as loud as she has been. I'm not sure that she knows what to do either. This is a situation she's never been in.

Is she the type of person who flees when all hope is lost? Is that being a coward or wisely knowing how to pick your battles so you can fight another day? Would she know the difference?

Sam's even hiding herself from me. So how am I supposed to know how to write this scene? I swear she doesn't want these bad things to happen to her so she distracts me from the task of writing. Can you imagine how frustrating that is?

A scene like this with extreme emotion, is where your characters really come out. I guess Sam has been skating by on her sharp tongue for too long. The metaphorical ice has gotten bumpy and the temperature dropped. Her tongue is frozen to the surface... What does she do now? She's not talking her way out of it, we know that much.

So Sam and I haven't figured out what is the best way for her to proceed. Is that writer's block? I'm not sure that really matters.

Regardless I'm not writing... much.