Two Little Words to Combat Writer’s Block

Written by TMS Director of Creative Development & Mentor, Eric Webb

I’m going to keep this one brief, because what I really want to do this month is get you back to your writing… so bear with me for just a moment or two.

I’ve been working on a few different projects recently, one of which I had stepped away from for a bit. I had an exciting conversation with my collaborators about a new direction for a segment of the piece, however once I was left alone with my own devices I was stuck with that dreaded feeling as I stared at another empty page.

I typed a few lines.

I erased them.

I typed a few more.

I got some more coffee.

I erased them.

I typed some more.

I closed the document.

I was blocked.

Despite my positive attitude and creative energy from my cohorts… I needed a kickstart.

It was then that I was able to pull out one of my favorite playwriting tricks: I asked myself: 

“What if…”

Those two words, more than any other exercise, routine, or blood sacrifice have been my writer’s saving grace for years.

Because you know what you then get to finish that question with? The absolute most outlandish thing you can think of.

Stuck writing that scene where the one awkward teen attempts to finally confess to the other awkward teen that they’re in love with them? What if they instead confess they were a duck? Or what if they showed up dressed like a vampire?

Sometimes just shaking yourself up with something that is patently absurd greases the wheels enough that when you put your mind back to the original task, you’re already in a flow state and can think about the original circumstances from a new angle.

One of my favorite ways to end the “what if” question relies upon playing with opposites. What if your normally shy protagonist demands being the center of attention? Or what if the antagonist does something genuinely “nice?” These kinds of thought experiments can often unlock some really interesting insights regarding your characters which can be useful beyond simply being a tool to break the theatrical ice.

Another favorite “what if” is: “what if they make the absolute WORST choice possible?” It’s a bit of a variation on a theme from those earlier, but it really helps increase the stakes and conflict and gives you room to examine what your characters are capable of as they try and navigate a new, nearly impossible scenario.

And you know what’s funny? I’ve had situations where the “worst choice possible” actually made it into the script. Because conflict and stakes are what lift a moment from the banal to a theatrical event.  So mix it up, be daring and foolish. It’s a “play” after all!

And as I’m so fond of saying: your job is not to make your characters comfortable. It’s to make their lives a living hell.

So go ahead, “what if you gave this exercise a shot?”