What's the Worst that Could Happen?
What discovery writers should do when we get stuck!
Hey y’all, it’s KimBoo! I’m an author and a podcaster who is also a librarian, text technology historian, and former I.T. project manager. I write about a lot of interesting things, I hope you agree! Please consider supporting me (and my dog!) so I can keep throwing errata & etcetera into the Scriptorium!
I talk a lot about discovery writing with a lot of writers, from beginners to pros, and the most common question I get is “what happens if I get stuck?”
This question can take various forms, such as:
How do I write myself out of corners?
What if I run out of ideas?
What should I do if the story stalls out?
Nothing is happening in the story! Help!
All of these are versions of the same thing, which is that our intuition has run out of cues. It is not, as we often suspect, writer’s block. Nor is it a catastrophic mistake that can only be resolved by starting over with an outline.
When I say that “our intuition has run out of cues” what I mean is that whatever inspiration or streak of curiosity that got our story into those straits has either run its course, or we simply don’t have a reference for what should come next.
For instance, if we have a brave knight riding up to a lonely tower with a dragon wrapped around it, then we all assume that the knight is there to fight the dragon and save the princess/prince/princette. But then your pantser brain writes the following sentence: “The dragon was curled around the empty tower.”
Empty? Wait, what? Why is it empty????
This breaks our cultural, literary understanding of that trope, and while sometimes that might inspire you to a creative solution, or maybe a trope inversion was something you planned from the start, often our brains just start spinning in circles. Our intuition is stumped. We’ve written our knight into a corner that makes no sense.
This can stall even the most determined of discovery writers, leading to stories that sit around for days or even years without any further traction.
The Simple Solution That Sounds Ridiculous
But there is an easy solution to this problem. It is a solution that will either motivate you to dive back into writing the story, or will show you very clearly that (for whatever reason) the story doesn’t interest you anymore. It is so simple it sounds ridiculous but is also a real challenge:
Write the worst thing that could happen in that moment.
A variation on this is to write the most outrageous thing that could happen. Either way, the point is to break expectations and push our brains off of the track it thought it was on.
Examples using the knight vs. the dragon trope:
The dragon already ate the princess/prince/princette.
The dragon is the princess/prince/princette.
The dragon is dead.
There are actually ten (or one hundred dragons) waiting there.
The knight is drunk.
An earthquake happens.
Aliens land and start a fight with the dragon.
You get the picture, I’m sure.
You might be writing out of your comfort zone, and you might write a lot of words that you end up trashing, but that’s okay. It is better to write a lot to get where you want to go than to sit around wailing and wallowing in the corner you wrote yourself into.
Embracing the Chaos of Discovery Writing
I know what you’re thinking: “If I just write something that wild, won’t it derail my entire story?” And my answer is: maybe, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Remember, as discovery writers, we thrive on the unexpected and are driven by our curiosity. We’re not tied to rigid outlines or predetermined plot points. Our strength lies in our ability to adapt and find new paths through the narrative wilderness.
Think of it this way: when you hit that wall, when your intuition fails you, you’re not actually in a corner but at a crossroads. You are standing at the point where the story can go in several different directions. This is where the magic of discovery writing truly shines, in my opinion. We are forcing our creativity to step up and respond to our curiosity, and anything could happen!
By forcing yourself to write the worst (or most outrageous) thing, you’re essentially kicking down the doors of your imagination. You’re giving yourself permission to explore avenues you might never have considered otherwise. And here’s the kicker: even if you end up not using that particular crazy idea, the very act of writing it can often spark new, more suitable ideas that still maintain the spirit of your original vision.
The Hidden Benefits of “Bad” Writing
There’s another aspect to this technique that’s worth mentioning. When you write something intentionally “bad” or outrageous, you’re also taking the pressure off yourself. You’re allowing yourself the freedom of imperfection, and engaging with the practice of writing. It doesn’t even have to be good, it just has to exist. This can be incredibly liberating, especially for writers who tend to get caught up in perfectionism.
Moreover, this exercise can help you understand your characters and your story world better. How would your characters react to these outlandish situations? What does their response tell you about who they are? Sometimes, putting your characters through these “worst-case scenarios” can reveal depths to them that you hadn’t previously explored.
Every great discovery writer I know has faced moments of uncertainty and great walls of obstacles. The difference between those who push through and those who give up often comes down to their willingness to embrace the chaos, to write badly, to explore the ridiculous.
Next time you find yourself stuck, staring at that blinking cursor (or empty page!) with mounting dread, take a deep breath and challenge yourself to write the worst thing that could possibly happen.
After all, when it comes to discovery writing, even the worst ideas can be stepping stones to something brilliant!