By WB Intern Ashley Rummel
“If you do enough planning before you start to write, there’s no way you can have writer’s block.”
– R.L. Stine
R.L. Stine is a household name for children’s horror novels. One of the bestselling authors in history, he’s sold over 400-million books worldwide, been translated into 35 languages, and has published over 200 works. That’s a lot of writing!
Below we’ve collected a list of tips to scare away writer’s block from this master of children’s horror.
R.L. Stine’s Top Ten Tips to Scare Away Writer’s Block:
1. “Don’t ever stare at a blank page or screen! Start with notes, journal entries, outlines, cheat sheets, what ifs. Write something down before you begin.”
2. Know your ending first. If you know where you’re going to end up, you’ll know where to start.
3. You don’t have to write the beginning first! You can write your first draft in any order. Then you can go back and put it in the right order.
4. Don’t worry about how the first draft sounds. Just put words down – you can always go back.
5. Before you write, tell your story out loud. Once you’ve told your story, you’ll have a lot less trouble “telling” it to the paper.
6. Set a timer for a short amount of time — let’s say 13 minutes. Tell yourself you’re going to write something — anything — until that timer goes off. When the timer dings — if the writing is going well — set it for another 13 minutes and keep writing. If it’s not going well, set the timer and do something else for 13 minutes. Then go back to your writing.
7. If you’re still stuck, don’t throw away the idea — try changing it a little. Try writing it from another character’s point of view or telling the story in another character’s voice.
8. Still stuck? Look through a magazine. Find a picture of a person or place that looks like your character or setting. Write down a complete and detailed description of what you see. Guess what? You just started your story.
9. Set a reasonable goal and reward yourself. If you get there, say “I will write two pages today, then I can watch TV for half an hour.”
10. Don’t ever stare at a blank page! Start with notes, journal entries, outlines, cheat sheets, what ifs. Write something before you begin. (We know. This is the same as number one! We’re repeating it because it’s the most important tip.)
If you’ve enjoyed these writing tips, check out R.L. Stine’s website for more.
Happy writing!
About the Author
Ashley Rummel is a writer and a senior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Nutrition and Creative Writing. Originally from Dripping Springs, Texas, she has worked as a personal trainer, a softball coach, an undergraduate researcher, and a marketing manager for a local fitness startup. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and exploring hiking trails around Austin. Ashley is currently working on a YA historical fiction novel which she hopes to publish in the near future.