The Secret to Writer’s Block: Misfit Inspiration - Guest Post Kelly Brakenhoff
Step Away From Your Desk
If we’re attacked right now . . .
. . . it would take days to find our bodies.
This thought popped into my head while hiking with my husband recently on a remote trail in Maine during our summer vacation.
There was no immediate threat to our lives. The little resort we’d chosen offered hiking trails in the surrounding hillside. Needing a bit of exercise, we ventured into thick trees for a two-mile stroll. My husband looked for evidence of deer, admiring the plants and trees that were vastly different than the ones near our home in Nebraska. We passed no one else along the trail. Instead of feeling refreshed by the wood’s quiet remoteness, my imagination saw darkly dressed figures hiding behind the thick brush, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting hikers. What if the waitress at breakfast had slipped a secret message along with the check, pleading for our help on a hastily sketched map of this exact trail?
Exactly what you want in a relaxing vacation, right?
If you’re a writer searching for topic ideas or puzzling though the best way to kill off your book’s next victim, getting away from your desk might be just the prescription for overcoming writer’s block.
Writers often see the world in terms of “What-if?”
Whether it’s a running trail in my neighborhood or a remote destination, a change of scenery jumpstarts my imagination.
This summer on a long weekend in Michigan, we white-knuckled it over the Mackinac Bridge. Instead of enjoying the majestic view or the engineering expertise that created the bridge, I thought, what if we drive over the railing? What if I saw someone else drive off the bridge? What if a car forced another car over on purpose?
The perfect cozy mystery crime. Criminal, but not too gory. A good puzzle.
Sometimes I run alone in the early morning. Instead of feeling energized by my rocking playlist, I might squint into dense shrubbery, bracing for a sudden attack from a knife-wielding meth addict. Do I live in a town where runners frequently encounter addicts on the bike paths? No, but try telling that to my overactive imagination.
Who else thinks of these things?
Another questions writers ask to improve our stories is “What is expected?”
Suppose the knife-wielding meth addict stabbed me and dragged me into the bushes. Which one would be the most likely hiding spot? There? No, that nearby house overlooks the path. A retired widow in her housecoat would be sitting in her breakfast nook sipping coffee, reading the newspaper, and she’d see our struggle. Minutes after her 911 call, the guy would be located before I bled out. Not a good crime. Suspects need time to plant red herrings, cook up an alibi, and hide the evidence. Knife-wielding meth addicts are not reliable cozy mystery killers because they’d struggle to keep it together. Too easy to solve.
Back to square one.
Good stories come from asking “what-if,” then going beyond “what is expected.” Digging for the second, fourth, or tenth option surprises everyone, including the writer.
I spend a fair amount of brain time in the fictional town of Carson, Nebraska where my academic mystery series is set. There my main character, Dr. Cassandra Sato works as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Morton College. She’s surrounded by neighbors and colleagues she has met since taking a leap of faith by accepting the job and leaving her home in Hawai’i to move to the Midwest.
College campuses are hotbeds of conflict.
There’s faculty jockeying for tenure, squabbling among department chairs, big donors who want policy influence, students cramming for tests, and parties gone awry. It’s the perfect place for a murder mystery! Amateur sleuth Cassandra simply tries to be a good college administrator and get through her day. She doesn’t want to keep finding dead bodies or get involved in police investigations. They just kind of fall into her lap.
Practically anything I overhear or read is fair game.
During my day job as an ASL interpreter at a local university, I attend classes varying from photography to anatomy. Many things I’ve seen and learned during my career inform the interactions at Morton College.
The stalker who creeped out his girlfriend by putting her cat in the oven? Found its way into a thankfully very short mention in my first book. College students protesting against the administration for an unpopular new policy? Second book. Blizzard that knocks out power and transportation to a huge swath of the country. Natural disasters? Third book, check.
Agatha Christie reportedly was inspired to write Murder on the Orient Express by the Lindbergh kidnapping. Literally any TV show, newspaper article, or intense coffee shop argument could become fodder for your writer’s imagination.
The next time you feel stuck on a scene or lost for what project to write next, I challenge you to leave your desk behind and let your imagination roll. Take a walk, move to a different venue, eavesdrop in a public place. Look for the unseen story by asking yourself “What-if,” and challenging those answers with “What is expected?” I bet you’ll come up with more creative ideas and unexpected options to get unstuck.
KELLY BRAKENHOFF writes the Cassandra Sato Mystery series including DEATH BY DISSERTATION, a 2020 RONE Award Mystery Finalist, DEAD WEEK, "a diverting whodunit," (Publishers Weekly), and DEAD OF WINTER BREAK, a holiday themed whodunit. Kelly is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. SCAVENGER HAUNT, a Halloween themed short story releases in October.
NEVER MIND, FARTS MAKE NOISE, and MY DAWG KOA, her children’s picture books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog have quickly become popular with children, parents, and educators for promoting inclusive conversations about children with differences. New for 2021 are the printable and digital workbooks that accompany the series.
SALE ALERT!
Until October 4, 2021, DEATH BY DISSERTATION, Kelly’s first book in the Cassandra Sato Mystery series is available to download for free from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PKRD658
Learn more about Kelly Brakenhoff here:
Website: https://kellybrakenhoff.com/
Blog: https://kellybrakenhoff.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellybrakenhoffauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelly_inbrakenville/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kellybrak/_created/
I hope that these ideas help you to break through!
Still getting writer’s block? Tell me how I can help!
Disclaimer: This post is exclusively the words and views of the guest blogger and do not necessarily represent the views of Heather L. Barksdale. The story featured has not been read or reviewed by Heather’s bookshelf.
