You know that scene in some movies where the protagonist reaches the hallway to freedom and suddenly, the hall elongates to this impossible length? The door at the end becomes fuzzy. The protagonist can start to run but can never close in on the door. The hall just keeps getting longer. They run faster but to no avail.
Writing is a little like that at times. With writer’s block, you hit a wall. There’s no going forward, no going around the wall. You’re just stuck. The neverending tunnel…you can write and write and write but you’re not accomplishing what your story and characters want so it doesn’t sit right with that inner voice that tells you when the story is working.
Often, the solution is to just keep writing. Sorting through the good and bad writing is the purpose of editing and you can’t edit a blank page. While the words may go away, at least they are words on the page. Ask any writer – nothing is scarier than the blank page.
I’m stuck in the neverending tunnel with a book right now. My characters are making inane conversations while I try and imbue hidden meaning and subtext. I can feel them rolling their eyes at me. I get their patience while I run through the hall trying to get to the door.