No this isn’t me going on another random hiatus but rather something I’ve learned while working on multiple projects all at once. Admittedly I’ve been having a bit of writer’s block when it comes to book 4 of The Legend of Nariko as there are certain parts I need to reconsider. There’s a certain part where initially I thought it was perfectly fine but realized it didn’t quite work with how Book 3, Shadows of a Dead World, played out. I had been wracking my brain on how to try and get it to work and being stuck on it for way longer than I realistically should. It wasn’t until I stepped away and experienced different media and worked on different projects that I came up with a solution that worked with the characters and their development.
I’ve come to realize that obsessively working on something, while sometimes can really boost productivity, can also get your mind stuck in a rut. Sometimes your mind gets stuck in an idea so heavily that it clouds your judgement and stops you from thinking up new ideas. In these moments, I’ve started to find that watching, reading or playing through different stories can help inspire new ideas I wouldn’t have thought of before. It especially helps if the themes are similar to what you are trying to write.
But something else I found that was super helpful was the fact that working on my manga has, surprisingly, helped me think up new ideas for my main book series. In a way, forcing my mind to be creative in different ways has helped me think outside the box in ways I hadn’t considered before. Maybe it’s because it allows me to think creatively in a very different way that gets me to consider other ideas and not stuck on a rigid plotline I once had. I think that it really does help to have another project to work on when you’re stuck and can’t figure out a way forward.
Ultimately though, I think the main thing that helps most is just stepping away from the problem and letting your mind reset before approaching it again. I’ve had years where I mostly just hyper focus on one project and it’s helped for productivity but it also runs into risky problems I’ve been facing now. Being stuck on a story idea for so long without being able to proceed with it feels really demoralizing when it takes forever to figure out how to proceed. That’s essentially what’s been happening to me recently and I didn’t quite know what to do about it. But having this manga I’m working on as a way to step away from my main book series has really helped me come up with ideas for The Legend of Nariko series that has really helped.
Sometimes it really does help to take a break, even when it feels bad to do so. Not working on my main book series has made me feel guilty, but when that time is used to work on another story series, it doesn’t feel as bad. Bouncing between the two projects has really helped me stay motivated and keep working on my goals. I definitely recommend starting a new project if you ever feel stuck with your main idea and bounce between the two to keep feeling productive while also being productive.
Hope this helps!
– Raphael
Raph's Cozy Musings 