ARE YOU BLOCKED OR BORED?

Rampant within the writing community is the notion of writer's block. So much has been written about this malady, writers might understandably feel they aren't really a writer until they've suffered from it. 

But what if no writer has ever been truly blocked? What if those empty, dried-up moments are simply the result of sheer boredom?

Take the quiz below to measure your current creative energy.

1. The prologue you've been working on for the past five weeks still reads like a book report. What do you do?

      a)  Create a scene with pure action.
      b)  Take a break and clip your nails.
      c)  Toss out the entire prologue.
   

2. Your lead character works in a field that is foreign to you. What do you do?

      a)  Interview someone who works in the field.
      b)  Take a break and bake a cake.
      c)  Make it up as you go along.
   

3. By the third chapter, your loveable character Sarah has morphed into grumpy old Ethel. What do you do?

      a)  Create a character profile.
      b)  Take a break and watch TV.
      c)  Toss a coin to decide her characteristics.
   

4. After you re-read the shouting match between your hero and heroine, you think the dialogue sounds contrived. What do you do?

      a)  Reevaluate the point of the argument.
      b)  Take a break and fix something.
      c)  Have the hero storm out the door.
   

5. You have no idea how to get a character, who has no money, from one city to another. What do you do?

      a)  Incorporate a financial source early in the story.
      b)  Take a break and play with the pet.
      c)  Omit the details—just throw him on the plane.

If you chose the A answers, you're so hot you're burning up the page! May we soon see your smokin' project on the bookshelves.

If you chose the B answers, you are lukewarm. Struggling, but at least not giving up. Remember, many excellent scenes are created while doing something else.

If you chose the C answers, you are lacking a single spark. Set your work aside for a while and let your brain ponder. Is this story really the one you want to tell at this point in your life? Find the answer to that, and you'll find the cure to your writer's block.