By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

I’m a jack of all trades and master of none. At least that’s what my mom always said. She taught me to continually learn new things and become innovative. I may not master every secret or ability, but I have a good feel for what can be. “If you never try anything different how will you know what you can do?” She was right and so I did, and continue to do.

That teaching has carried over to my children. It thrills me when my adult sons face a problem or challenge, move forward, never blocking a new possibility, and critically thinking how a resolution can be found.  

Recently, I hit a snag in my plotline. Things just weren’t panning out. I had an idea how I wanted things to roll but the reality was, it wasn’t ringing true. In other words, no one would believe it. Because I write Appalachian Historical, it does require research. Let’s face it, some things in the backwoods of Appalachia seem a little unbelievable, so when I write it has to ring true for the reader.

The question then became, how do I get myself out of this corner without scraping the entire 20K words? The first inclination was to fold into the fetal position and cry, but Mom’s words haunted me. “If you never try anything different, how will you know what you can do?”

How do we break free of a chain in our writing that ties us to the floor? Try these suggestions to help you find a new direction in a pinch.

Brainstorm:

Brainstorming is hard for me because I am not a quick thinker, however, my good friend Eddie is. When I am stuck on a plot point that isn’t working out, I can call him and ask if he’s willing to brainstorm. This is his strength and he’s quick to hop on the bandwagon. Within minutes he spits out nine or ten “what if” situations. Brainstorming is wonderful and it’s a vital tool to have in your writing toolbox. Don’t sit around bashing your head against a wall, learn to brainstorm. Find someone you can bounce ideas off of and you’ll be surprised how helpful it can be.

Rewrite page One:

You may say, “What? Rewrite my first page?” But yes. Sometimes if you start from a different perspective, things fall into place. I can’t move to chapter two until chapter one is nailed down tight because, for me, that first page sets the pace for the entire novel. When I’ve found myself stuck a few chapters in, then I move all the way to page one, assess the characters, and decide if a different character can launch me in a direction I didn’t expect. You may be surprised that as you rework page one, the missing element in your original work will show itself. Now you can fix it and move ahead. Don’t be afraid to start over for the sake of clarity.

Don’t refuse change:

There are times we just love what we’ve written. There couldn’t be any possible way to make a change without losing that perfection. The truth is, if it were perfect, you wouldn’t be in this situation, so sometimes we have to let go of a paragraph that we love, to make the necessary change for the good of the work. Don’t throw that paragraph away. Save it. You’ll more than likely find a place in the work where it fits better than before.  Be open to change.

Stop trying to please everyone else:

This happens a lot in critique groups. A writer submits pages for critique and gets back ten different ideas. It’s important to remember, you know your story and your characters. Learn to sift through the suggestions and take what applies to your work. Be open to suggestions. Sometimes a critique group can hit on the perfect insight that will get you moving again but the bottom line is, you must remain true to your work.

Step away for a day:

There are times we simply need to step away from a work in progress long enough to let our head reboot. Another thing my mother always said was, “When you can’t see the forest for the trees, go to the beach.” In its unique way, this phrase makes sense. When we get so involved in a chapter, we can’t always see the possibility of something else. Step away for a day. Sometimes two. Allow yourself the time to clear your thoughts and open up a new train of thought. It’s like trying to proofread your own work. There are times your mind overrides what your eyes see because your words are stuck in your head. Stepping away serves as a reboot. You’ll be surprised what you see when you’ve given yourself a day or so to process.

Writer’s conferences are perfect places to come home with a multitude of ways to help pinpoint and fix broken chapters. Attend. Take in everything you see and hear, then jot down those ideas. Sort through what will work for you. Suddenly you’re writing toolbox will be overflowing and you will become a jack of all trades heading toward being a master at the craft. 

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conferenceteacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor forStraight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com. @cindydevoted