So, I’ve been trapped in a story tunnel. Think Escape from Alcatraz, digging a body-sized hole with a spoon. That’s me, only Alcatraz is the novel I’m writing, and well, the spoon is a keyboard, I guess—bear with me. Writing a novel means getting lost in a story tunnel, but obsessing can’t overtake real productivity. Emerging from the other side with a finished book must take priority.
It’s a great idea at first—you know, spooning your way out of prison or writing a book—but then you actually have to do the work. Progress no one sees but you (and sometimes, you don’t see it either). Then, you get to a point where there’s NO TURNING BACK. So you obsessively spoon, claw, cry your way through it (without getting lost in the scene playground). And you can’t stop because you might lose the momentum, and the tunnel will cave in, and you MUST get to the end. Because the end is super-sweet… IF you ever get there.
Seriously, Helga from Hey Arnold! is one of my fav cartoon characters… AND she’s another obsessive–like me.
Anyway, I’ve been trapped in a book-writing tunnel many times. That means that I’ve been so obsessed with getting it finished & getting it right that some things have fallen by the wayside. Like, personal grooming, housework, gardening, and well, anything outside of me + keyboard + my book.
It also means that my progress stalls over the smallest things–imagery I can’t nail down or, hell, a single word that doesn’t feel right. Once in the story tunnel, it’s easy to lose sight of the tiny speck at the end. It’s called the Murky Middle for a reason–many writers get trapped there. Their tunnel collapses under the weight of a story that stops moving forward.
A brief aside: I have NO IDEA how I remember Escape from Alcatraz—I had to look it up to make sure my memories matched the story. I distinctly remember the concrete slab and the guys digging away with spoons. But damn, I was like four when it came out, and it doesn’t seem like the kind of movie a child should see. Way to go, Mom & Dad. Anyway, it’s funny how such things burn into your brain for you to recall many years later and, you know, blog about.
So, how can writers keep up or regain their momentum? How can writing go more efficiently? How can we prevent freakouts, stall-outs, or story-collapses?
Have deadlines & guard them vehemently (especially against yourself).
Without a deadline, a writer can meander in her story tunnel indefinitely. That’s too much freedom, and no one wants to spend years on a novel when she could’ve typed THE END in a few months. Meandering kills productivity. And deadlines are the best defense.
Start with a deadline for the project overall, and work backward by setting due dates for smaller parts like chapters. When I created solid writing goals last year, I discovered that simply stamping a deadline on my project kept me focused and made me accomplish way more than I thought I could.
Create an outline first & stick with it.
Not to debate plotters versus pantsers–I get it; I’ve been both. But logic dictates that having a plan is better and more efficient than not. So, if you want to move through the story tunnel like Lightning McQueen, have a plan. A story outline will prevent problems later on.
And depending on where you are in the story, it may not be too late to make one. For my first few novels in my Delilah Duffy Mystery Series, I thought I could be a cool-ass pantser but midway through and collapsing under clues and suspects, I came to my senses. I stopped writing and outlined the rest of the book, making side lists to keep track of all the important mystery-details. When I returned to writing, I zipped through the tunnel more quickly, knowing exactly where I was headed. This helped throughout the rest of the series, too.
Stop deliberating, tinkering, or otherwise lingering on anything that can be tweaked later.
Spending hours, days, or weeks hung up on a description that isn’t bold enough or a word that isn’t quite right or dialogue that sounds unnatural doesn’t help the end goal. It’s like the prisoners hanging out in the tunnel to decorate or leave cave drawings–that’s not important right now.
But finishing is.
Remember, this isn’t the last time you’ll ever see your novel. Once your beta readers have a go at it, you’ll have feedback for fine-tuning and more chances for improvement. And if you self-publish, you can always make changes. Finishing it and letting it go is necessary for success. Otherise, hoarding your book like Gollum in the tunnels of Mordor will turn you into a miserly writer, unable to share it with the world.
Let the precious go.
BUT, if stalled by a scene that’s crucial for moving forward, play with it in your scene playground–it’s the BEST way to battle writer’s block that I’ve discovered! Try it a few ways, pick the best version, and then… MOVE ON.
Sometimes, efficiency through the story tunnel dwindles because the writer is hanging out in a scene she really enjoys. I’m soooo guilty of this! For me, it’s always the moment they finally get together that becomes my writing kryptonite. I write the scene–no problem–but then stay there, making sure it’s right, and well, replaying it in my head. Ah, finally the payoff scene! I love, love, love being there…
But so will readers–if they ever get the chance to read it! And I’m the one keeping them from it!
So, put a hard limit on how much time you can spend in one scene. And don’t go back there… not until the entire novel is finished, your betas give you feedback, and there’s actual work that needs to be done.
Ironically, obeying your deadlines may require you to…
Step away from the screen, ma’am.
If you’re stuck in your novel’s happy place, a good diversion might shake you from the spell, like these…
- A walk around the neighborhood…
- Check out an amazing blog with excellent writing prompts and ideas…
- A chat with your significant other about your obsessive behaviors…
- Watching Escape from Alcatraz…
- Writing a blog post about bad parenting…
- Reading a great book that proves it’s possible to get out of the tunnel…
- Checking out a Bigtime-Author’s stats on Amazon and letting envy motivate your writing…
These are all good options. The point is that sometimes getting out of your head will help you tunnel out of the scene. And ultimately, break through to the other side with a finished novel.
My work-in-progress One Thing Better nears the sunlit freedom of the publishing-finish-line. We’re navigating feedback from betas and finding a cover designer. The story’s undergoing it’s “final” tweaks. In a few months, we’ll celebrate our second book release this year, my completed Delilah Duffy Mystery Series being the other.
Getting books finished and out there is such an incredible feeling that the dark trenches of story tunneling should never hold writing up for long–take a shovel to it, if you have to. Because you want this… you really, really do.
So, while it’s okay to obsess a little–you care too much about your novel not to–don’t get diverted from the end game–books on shelves.
Speaking of obsessing, I recently fell in love with this video. You gotta watch it start to finish, okay? Then, imagine this is me with my characters. Ha!
Okay… so I’m done obsessing over this post–back to my work in progress. You should get back to writing, too. That is, after you share your comments about story-tunneling, breaking out of prison, and writing below.
