Advice For Writers #25: At A Loss For Words

So what does one do when they are at a loss for words? Well, from my experiences, I go back onto Tumblr, spend ten hours on that site, and reblog everything I see. But I suspect that most writers probably won't waste half of their lifetime on there.


So let's repeat the question of the week.

What does one do when they are at a stunning loss for words? 

Hmm... I can recall some legendary author vs. author fight. There is one such one that escalated to the point of one author punching the other. The other author, stunned, was unable to speak. Mr. Punchy said, "As usual, words fail him." Pretty epic, though I don't remember their names.

(P.S. I hope you and I will never fight. Because that would be bad. No violence, though I accept torturing of characters and giving them more pain and grief. Especially for the readers). 

But let's get back to the question. So what would one do? What would I do?

Well, I usually do a few things:

1. Panic.
2. Go read the closest book in reach. 
3. Go back to Tumblr and reblog everything.
4. Go back to Work-In-Progress and realize that night is almost coming and that I haven't written a single word.
5. Panic some more.
6. And panic again.
7. Let the words come out.

And that is pretty much the things I do. Even though it isn't exactly the "few" I imagined. 

But my advice for you is to get a darn timer and cruise the World Wide Web. Or go to the library and entertain yourself. Maybe there is a reason why you are at a loss. Maybe you just have to take a break and let yourself relax. Then that voice of your main character will come to you. Especially after she/he kills that fire-breathing, acid-spewing, and overall dangerous dragon. 

Happy Writing!