TIP: The Q&A Method for Solving Problems

TIP: When you can't proceed, it's almost always because there are questions which you haven't answered, which you need to answer, in order to know how the story goes!

THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER METHOD FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS:

If you're ever finding yourself too unsure which direction to proceed in, or how it all ties together, etc., then maybe try the "Q&A" approach I use. It helps me a lot. I make a list of all my questions, then I type out answers to each, brainstorming paragraphs or pages as needed. When I am finally ready to make decisions, then I write a summary of which choice I made and why. This helps me focus on just what I don't know that is keeping me from progressing, and helps me explore options in making decisions.

The value of this method is that it takes your problem, the question(s) that you need answered, and reduces them from some impossible-to-solve abstract notion in your head to a concrete question on paper (or on your computer screen).

The hardest part sometimes is actually writing the question down. I know sometimes I have a question but I don't even want to put it into words, in my head or otherwise, because I know I'll have to do some hard, serious thinking to figure it out. I know it will raise a lot of other questions. I know the solution is going to be tough, a lot of work, redoing what I have already written, etc. But the most important thing is to do it, to ask the question.

One time, I remember, it was all I could do on day just to write the question down. I then had to put it away immediately because I did not want to face it. But the next day I mustered the courage to look at the question in writing, and when I did I found the question wasn't so intimidating after all. I had to work for several hours, writing more questions that arose as I tried to figure out the major plot problem, working through the entire story in my head, talking out loud to myself, pacing the room, making various groans and whining noises, but in time, after a few hours, I did have all the answers I needed, and I was able to resume work later that day.

So, no matter how tough the problem you are facing in your work in progress, when you can't proceed it is almost always because there is something you haven't decided. A decision you have put off. You were able to write around it, to avoid it, but finally you reach that point where the story can go no farther until you answer it. That's what you have to do. No matter how painful, write it down, face it, and solve it. Once you do, the dam will be opened, the creative flood will wash over you and you will be swept away again to the joys of writing new stuff, which is what it's all about.

Good luck with it!