Actually, it happens a lot. I'll be writing, making good progress, when all of a sudden I'll come to a roadblock and the roll I'm on comes to a screeching halt.
I know I could just skip to the next part and start writing and eventually it will come to me, but for some reason, most of the time, I just stop writing for awhile and worry about what is in that box. That stupid box taunts me and keeps me awake at night.
When you're co-authoring something, the solution is easy. Let someone else take a whack at it. While writing The Parting Gift I would leave holes and move on. I knew that if I couldn't fill in the gaps, Rachel would. But leaving holes when I'm writing on my own makes me nervous. Not sure why, but I just gotta know:
WHAT IS IN THAT BOX!?
I hear you, Leah. That happened to me yesterday. It wasn't a box, but a huge question that hadn't occurred to me that I couldn't answer. I am currently staring at my giant, bright pink notecard with the question written in large capitals...instead of writing.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on what the story is about. It could be a weapon, map, piece of electronic equipment or just a smily face:).
ReplyDeleteI just got a call from your editor: Whatever's IN the box had better be able to FIT in the box. :-P
ReplyDeleteDon't you love these things that pop up out of nowhere as you're writing?
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Oh, it'll fit. If it doesn't, I'll rewrite the dimensions of the box! ;)
ReplyDelete