5 Ways to Keep Your Writing Moving Forward When You Hit a Brick Wall

1. Outline - or use the Snowflake Method

Chances are, there's something wrong with the structure. Can't figure out what it is that's off? Go back to your outline. Don't have an outline because you like to pants? Simple - write out a small summary of each chapter until you effectively have an outline on hand.

It's worth mentioning here that many writers and authors (myself included) find the Snow Flake Method to be spectacularly helpful. In case you don't know what it is and would like to learn more, here's a handy little link.

2. Research

How would time travel work? Don't ask me. I don't do Sci-Fi. But I do happen to know of a magical thing called the internet which is filled with answers to every question you have ever and will ever have. If you're struggling to move forward in your writing, there's a strong possibility that it is because you need to conduct more research first. I realized this when I was circling the drain around the issue of having one of my MC's dispose of a dead body in 1954. My guy's not a genius so I knew I couldn't have him do anything fancy like dissolving it in acid and he lives in the city so dropping the body off in the abandoned woods was a no-go as well. I felt the obvious (Law and Order) go-to was to toss the body in a garbage bag in the dumpster behind the apartment building- only plastic garbage bags weren't available at this time and neither were dumpsters. My only option was to research methods of trash disposal and find a new direction to take the story.  

3. Take some time off and come back later

Okay. I'll admit it. This is actually my go-to step but there's a fine line between putting some distance between you and your writing and just procrastinating. Feel free to take some time off but if its been months since you've touched your writing ... you're probably just procrastinating. Your book won't write itself! That being said, it's perfectly natural and healthy to take some time off now and then. Let your brain work out all the problems you can't see at the moment. When you come back the mistakes and plot holes will be screaming out at you. But that's okay because now you've gained some perspective and you know what needs to be changed.   

4. Have a fresh pair of eyes look it over

If you're newer to writing this one is tough with a capital T. Seriously, it can be very difficult. It's like handing your newborn baby over to a stranger - a potentially filthy, germ-ridden, disease-bearing stranger. It's hard to be vulnerable and, honestly, what's more vulnerable than letting someone take a journey into your mind? Scared yet? Don't be. Getting feedback from others is a crucial part of the process. Even before your book ever makes it to the shelf (or Amazon if you're going the self-publishing or ebook route) it'll pass through the hands of alpha readers, beta readers, editors and proofreaders. 

In order to grow as a writer, you need feedback and having an honest reader help you spot the weaknesses in your writing now will pay off for you later. Does it hurt your pride? Yes. Absolutely. I've had pieces that I was convinced were brilliant only to find that everyone else saw a million flaws I couldn't. I've also had pieces I was close to just deleting forever only to discover others really connected with it. It's a mixed bag, really. You'll be both praised and criticized for things you didn't anticipate but above all, you'll gain a new understanding of both your work and other people's perception of it.

5. Read it through a different medium (kindle or print)

This is especially helpful later in the game. At the moment, I'm pushing my way through another draft of my novel and I'm amazed by how differently I'm relating to the text on Kindle (and in print) than on the computer screen. If you're more old fashion and use a typewriter or pen and paper to write, try typing it up or reading it out loud.

There's no reason to rush through your writing. Take it at whatever pace you need. Whatever you do - don't give up. Whether you come back a day later or a year later, don't be afraid to finish what you started. 

Interview with Author Philip Overby

Recently I've had the great pleasure of reading some works by an extremely talented Fantasy writer named Philip Overby. His works take place in the intensely weird and wonderful world of Splatter Elf. The first piece in the series is The Unicorn Eater which tells the tale of the foul mouthed half-elf Katzia who happens to be a bounty hunter teaming up with the mystical starseer Bathbrady in search of the monster that's been brutally slaying unicorns. The Unicorn Eater perfectly balances drama, violence, and comedy. In fact, this whole series is a fresh take on Fantasy which took me completely by surprise.

The second piece in the series is River of Blades, which once again centers around Katzia and her quests. She's accompanied by a new companion whose masochism and constant self deprecation were far more entertaining than I thought possible. I stayed up all night to read The Unicorn Eater so I thought I was being clever by choosing to read the next piece on a beautiful afternoon with my butt glued to a park bench. River of Blades had me literally laughing out loud and resulted in MANY people staring. I live in a pretty small town so I usually try not to look like a complete idiot in public but I was so absorbed by the story I really didn't care.   

The third installation was recently released. The Bog Wyvern follows the lovable Bathbrady once more. The fourth piece is currently underway. The Weird Tales of Splatter Elf are unlike any other Fantasy I've ever read. Overby has a created a wildly unique world that I found to be thoroughly engaging so I thought it would be fitting to ask him a few things about it. Here's what he had to say.

Where did you get the inspiration for the Splatter Elf world?

I think I had my "Fuck it" moment in 2013. I had a pretty awful year in general and my writing was treading water as it had been for a while. I was getting stuff written, but it just didn't seem right for whatever reason. I wanted to write the kind of fiction that embraced the chaotic craziness I love in some of the more adult cartoons out there--South Park, Metalocalypse, Korgoth of Barbaria, Fist of the North Star. I also wanted it to have that playfulness and splattery gore that came with many of my Dungeons and Dragons sessions I've had throughout the years. Combine that with my affinity for the weird, surreal, and even absurd and it made the perfect stew of insanity. The name "Splatter Elf" originated from  a joke blog post I did, but the more I thought about this idea of a dark weird fantasy comedy stuck with me. So I said, "Fuck it," I want to write this off-the-wall fantasy. I was inspired by indie writer Robert Bevan, author of the Caverns and Creatures series, to put my work up on Amazon so I gave it the old college try. Now I'm releasing titles once a month or every other month. 

Other influences have been Monty Python, Mel Brooks, the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky, and other weird and funny shit. 

I also decided last year I don't want to write epic fantasy anymore. Splatter Elf is as close to that as I'll get. I'm shifting more towards urban fantasy or just doing the kind of weird fantasy I enjoy. I don't feel like I can write "serious fantasy" if that makes sense. I have a lot more fun with the Splatter Elf stuff.

Without giving too much away, what are your plans for your next project? Have I heard correctly that it might feature cats?

Well, a cat, but yes. For Wattpad I'm releasing a free episodic serial called Gutslinger the Grim Cat. To me it's kind of like Splatter Elf's version of Courage the Cowardly Dog. This cat has been blessed by a sword goddess and can summon a giant ass sword once a day. He protects his master, Malwick, a retired mercenary who can't seem to keep her weapons stashed away forever. So they live on this fucked-up farm and have to deal with all sorts of crazy shit. In the first couple of episodes, they're dealing with a corn dragon. So yeah, some dumb shit like that with the usual Splatter Elf bloody charm. 

The next couple of main projects I'm doing are Witch Pickle, a collection of witch and witch hunter stories I've been wanting to do for ages, which will then lead in to my first Splatter Elf novella, Feast of the Pyromancer. I imagine it like Clue, Battle Royale, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre had an insane baby. 

Then later comes my super hush-hush first Splatter Elf novel that I've only briefly mentioned to some people: Berserker Maid. A maid that goes berserk, kills people, and then cleans up their body parts after. It's still a while off, so I'm not talking about it much, but I'm sure it will be the usual splattery fun insanity.

If I had to describe your writing style to others, I would say it has a unique voice that is Joss Whedon meets Chuck Wendig, is this a far assessment?

That's a flattering comparison so I'll take it. I think both Whedon and Wendig are known for having witty banter, sharp dialogue and the like, so I like to think that is what keeps people reading the Splatter Elf series. I don't feel like it's traditional fantasy in any facet. It has some of the trappings, sure, but if I feel like putting giant mechs in my stories, I do. If I feel like having ten thousand random gods and goddesses, I do. I don't ascribe to this idea that fantasy has to be this way or that way. I always go on and on about how fantasy should take cues from erotica. I saw that in that erotica writers give zero fucks. They write whatever they want. Fantasy should be outdoing every other genre in that there is so much that can be done. "Cracking the genre open" is a phrase I use a lot. I think there are a lot of writers doing that these days as well: China Mieville, Chuck Wendig, Kameron Hurley, Robert Jackson Bennett, Peter Newman, etc. etc. I hope to see more and more of these kind of writers emerging.

What are the easiest and hardest parts of writing? 

The easiest part is writing dialogue for me. I just naturally enjoy projecting characters that way. I can just start writing a bit of dialogue and go for a while. Now that I've gotten in the habit of writing at least something every day (planning, drafting, editing) I find the "sit your ass in a chair" part to be easy. I know that's hard for a lot of writers, especially when first starting out. I've figured out what works for me and I don't want to fuck it up.

The hardest part for me is always editing. I find editing to be a slough sometimes, especially when I'm tinkering and trying to get everything just right. However, I've become a lot less critical of myself. That's one reason I think I'm able to release my work now and not feel like I'm putting shit out in the world. I've had some awesome people help with feedback and cleaning up my writing as well, so they've helped a ton. I believe writers should turn down their "Give a Fuck Meter" now and again. Balance it out anyway. You're only so good a writer as you currently are. I've become less and less interested in "hiding my art until it's ready." I'm more interested in "write until you're pretty good, publish, write and get better, publish, write and get better, publish" rinse and repeat. I was told recently that "The Bog Wyvern" was the best of the three I've released so far, so that's a good feeling to know the stories are getting better in readers' minds. I got the same feedback for "River of Blades" after it was released. I'll take anything I can get!

How long was the process of producing each piece (including betas, proofing, cover art etc.)?

I'd say from inception to completion the process for each piece has taken a little over a month. "The Unicorn-Eater," the first story I released, probably took the longest because I was figuring out formatting and all that happy shit we all have to do. Depending on critiques and such, some pieces take longer than others. My latest, "The Bog Wyvern," was my longest so far, so it took a bit more time to hammer down.

The cover art is done by the lead singer of the band I'm in. He usually does each piece over the course of a month. We used to do manga together a while back and I always liked his art style. He brings the kind of weird, almost cute, almost trashy look I enjoy. I know having cover art that stands out is a big deal and I believe my stands out for sure. I know it's not stock art with some dude holding a sword or some sweaty torso, but I dig it for sure.

What are your favorite books? (Why?)

There's a shitload of them. I'm a huge fan of Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, best known for writing the Witcher series. The Last Wish, his first short story collection, is one of my favorite books ever. He takes a pretty standard fantasy world but just makes it still feel so different by making it darker, even more modern in some aspects. I can't think of any other writer out there that takes the risks he does. Joe Abercrombie's another big one for me and of course Papa George (GRRM) with his A Song of Ice and Fire. Others I've loved recently are Richard K. Morgan, R. Scott Bakker, Kameron Hurley, Anthony Ryan, China Mieville, Michael R. Fletcher, and Steven Erikson.

When I was younger, R.A. Salvatore, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman really kickstarted my love of fantasy via Dungeons and Dragons worlds, so I owe a lot to them.

Where can we learn more about your Fantasy world and writing?

The big places are my blog Philip Overby's Fantasy Free-for-All and my Splatter Elf Facebook page. I update pretty regularly on the Facebook page and I share links to the blog, art concepts, random fantasy shit, and progress reports on what I'm working on. I always have something going on with the Facebook page. My blog tends to focus more on aesthetics I enjoy and getting to know me more as a person and my tastes. Of course I add Splatter Elf stuff there as well when I can. I had a plan to publish exclusive flash fiction there, but haven't gotten around to it much. 

Developing Deeper Characters : Fear

It's October so I figured it would be a good time of the year to talk about the darker side of human nature and using fear to develop your fictional characters. 

Fear can be a powerful motivator for characters. It can prevent them from taking new opportunities, going to new places, meeting new people, or even just getting to know themselves better.

Fear can pull people in a million different directions, making them doubt not only themselves but also others. On top of that, it is an excellent method for increasing tension and inner turmoil. Whether you just want to increase drama or portray them as vulnerable, giving your characters fears is an excellent place to start.  

In order to develop a deeper character you should consider the following:

What is this character afraid of? And why?

Of course you can go with easy answers like spiders or, in the case of Indiana Jones, snakes. But this is really just scratching the surface when it comes to character development. If you dig a little deeper you'll hit abstract fears which can stir up your reader's emotions and maybe even help them sympathize with the character. This includes anything from fears of being forgotten, death, pain, losing a job,  

As a character, how often does this affect them? 

Obviously a fear of snakes affects the character on special occasions. But a character's fears don't have to be reserved for plot devices or humor ("Why does it always have to be snakes?!?") they can affect the character in their daily life. You can use your character's fears either way depending on the kind of fear you choose to give them and the situations in which you place them. For instance, one of my sisters has a fear of chickens. On most days this doesn't affect her. But, if for some reason, she was forced to spend more time outside or if she decided to take up gardening, she would have to pass by our chickens everyday in order to get to the other side of the yard. This would make for a really boring story on its own but it might change things if we found out the chickens were mutants and by eating their alien chicken eggs the rest of us were losing our autonomy at the hands of the mutant-chicken alien overlord. Then, walking by the chicken coop takes on a whole new meaning and having to do it in order to collect some vegetables everyday amplifies story's potential for tension.

How do they respond?

When a character is faced with adversity, whether it be mutant-chicken aliens or snakes, they must decide how to react either by facing them or giving in to their natural responses (Fight, Flight, Freeze, or [for women:] Tend and Befriend). Depending on how you use fear, natural responses might very well be the case early in the character arc however, as the character becomes more developed (assuming your story follows a conventional character arc), we might expect them to start being more active. 

To use our Indiana Jones example again, he doesn't see the snakes and just give up. He's scared of them but he pushes through to complete whatever task is necessary to move the story along. In contrast, Left Ear,a character in the film The Italian Job, is actively hindered by his fear for dogs because he "had a bad experience". This is just one of many unforeseen hiccups in the character's plan but here we see the character neither give up nor face his fear (the dogs). Instead, the characters must alter their plans to account for his refusal to work with dogs. In this context, a secondary character overcoming a lifelong fear of dogs really is not necessary but if it was the protagonist we might expect a different reaction.  

The writer must ultimately decide what response and reaction is right for each character in each story. As I noted earlier in the mutant-chicken alien example, shifting a few elements in the story can drastically change the tension. the same is true of the characters' responses and reactions to their fears. If a woman was abused as a child, she might fear her parents and by extension, all authority figures. How would she react to a police interrogation or being questioned before the king? If a man has a fear of being alone, will he choose to settle down and marry a girlfriend he is otherwise indifferent towards?   

If a child has a fear of failing and displeasing their parents, will they be willing to try new things or put themselves on the line? If a young man is afraid of rejection, will he still ask out the girl he likes or will he resort to self-imposed isolation? A character with a fear of death might lead to paranoia. The list could go on and on. 

Does it affect the plot? 

The last thing to consider is whether the fears you have given your characters affect the plot or if they are just cute little quirks and personality traits that go nowhere. When you flesh out your characters some aspects are benign. (Is it crucial to the story that the MC has green rather than blue eyes? In most cases, probably not) However, giving your characters fear can be an incredibly effective tool to not only humanize them but to provide them with an opportunity and reason for stumbling as they move along through the plot and story arc.

A character's fear for her own well-being or that of her family or friends might push her to do things that she wouldn't even consider under ordinary circumstances. Again it comes down to choice. How will she react? That will, of course, depend on the character you have created and where you want to take your story. That is, if you aren't afraid to write it.