I try to deliver regular advice you can use to aid and inspire your young writers, but this week I’m leaning on the wisdom of others.
This is advice I’ve found helpful those times it feels like my writing wheels are stuck in deep mud and spinning wildly and I’ll never gain traction again. Here, from a variety of astute advisors, are the best tactics for when you’re stuck as a writer:
“BIC” —children’s writer extraordinaire Jane Yolen
Explanation: Short for “Butt‚ In Chair,” which means put your back end on a seating device, in front of the keyboard, or notebook and pencil, and write — whether you think you can do it today or not.
“Just Do It” —the Nike brand
Explanation: Ditto the above.
“Do… or do not. There is no try.” —Yoda, “The Empire Strikes Back” Explanation: Yoda needs no paraphrasing.
“BIC” —Mutzi the cat
Explanation: Mutzi agrees with Jane Yolen. Find a chair. Settle your back end into it and do what you’ve set out to do (in Mutzi’s case, that’s taking a nap, but in my case, that’s writing).
If you do these things on a regular basis, you will be a writer. You might not always be a good writer. That’s okay. If you keep writing, you will get better. And then better than that.
Plant your back end and have at it — it’s amazing how much traction a person’s backside can gain.