Overthinking: Got Analysis Paralysis?
Writing exists in different parts of my mind—the forefront or the back—and every so often it drives me out of it. A good number of writers I know have said something similar in conversation.
One of my biggest struggles is the "stuck place" that goes along with overthinking everything: plot or flow, content or structure, word choices, word count, the number of adverbs! There are so many writerly messages sent and received every day. Writers follow other writers. They subscribe to favorites and hope to be noticed by a successful one. It’s all part of the dream.
I imagine a goal, plot the path to success, and go down the creativity “rabbit hole” in order to find out what I don’t know that I don’t know. I think. A lot. Then I go from plotting the path to plodding along.
I’m thankful I came across a new online course called Soundtracks. The whole thing turned out to be perfect timing, and I can’t begin to tell you how it has become a tool to break some things loose in my writing thought life. When the book comes out, I believe every writer should read this one! (Pre-order quick for the audiobook bonus!)
I have a love-hate thing with the fact that writing is a mental thing. I'm brought back to one consistent truth in the writer life: writers write. Sure, they read and research and doodle sometimes, too, but they invest time in writing. The same beauty in the mental exercise of writing can seem to flip to an overthinking hamster wheel. When the overthinking analysis overwhelms the process, paralysis sets in.
I don't really believe this is the same thing as writer's block. Analysis paralysis is a little different in my mind. While the block feels like a dry inkwell, the paralysis feels something like the inkwell vacillating between explosion and implosion. The words won't flow because my mind just won't play nicely with whatever is on the page or trying to get there.
The beauty is that writing allows the pictures, stories, or ideas floating in my head to be shared with people anywhere and anytime. The agony is that my mind can have so many incomplete thoughts floating around, and I somehow feel each one should be thoroughly examined for validity before it hits the page. (Ridiculous!) Nothing can be done in that state of mind, in my experience.
What's a writer to do when the analysis invades and breaks the beautiful process? After you’ve read Soundtracks by Jon Acuff, here are three activities you can try to get past the paralysis in your process:
Take a walk and have a little talk with yourself. A change of scenery may be helpful. You may have to give yourself permission to write badly or explore an incomplete thought's development without evaluation. Agree to just write without judgment when you sit down again.
Try writing from stream of consciousness as an exercise on a regular basis. Timed free-writes can be helpful with practice. You'll often find you can get more words on the page when you have a specific topic or project to work on when you've practiced writing whatever comes to mind. Give that a shot!
Try the 10,000-foot view if you have to. Maybe you can't land in "Pantser Land" with writers who just discover the plot (twists and all). Step back from the project with an open mind and try outlining several different options for your work. Choose the one you like best or ask someone to help you choose. I like to ask friends for ideas on plot or content when it's possible or they are willing.
I won't overwhelm you with a ton of ideas, but there's three to try. I know I sometimes just need encouragement to push forward in a project, so my "bonus idea" is—find another writer to chat with. You can talk shop, if you need it. Or not. Sometimes another safe, living, breathing human is good company on the journey.
You might be wondering why I suggested Jon Acuff’s newest book. You need to know that Soundtracks is all about overthinking. For those of us who end up in the spin cycle more often than we care to talk about, this is the book to read! I learned how to flip the scripts in my head to avoid allowing overthinking to steal my time, productivity, and creativity. You can, too!
~Jennifer
