Easier said than done.
Do great writers set out to express a philosophy or a world view or is theme something that seeps out through dialogue, characters and plot? I can't always articulate my novel's "theme" until I've completed it. Maybe that's why I sometimes find myself at a dead end. In fact, I lose my sense of ecstasy, of feeling plugged into a source of power that comes from somewhere beyond.
When I feel obstructed, unable to go forward, it helps, at times to step away from the keyboard and stop thinking about the project directly. I go for a walk with my dog, taking in the beauty of nature if I'm in the country. I focus on a single leaf, a flowering tree, a caterpillar, a raindrop.
If not, I people-watch while I listen to music. That way I can better observe body language, facial expressions, and interactions. I go into a museum or gallery and absorb the essence of paintings or sculpture. I read poetry or philosophy or anything that has no obvious connection to what I'm writing. I keep a special shelf for all of the banned books that were once considered too dangerous to publish and pick one up at random. Sometimes I meditate, do yoga, or listen to a deep relaxation self-hypnosis recording. I try to remember all of my dreams.
When I'm ready to approach the computer again, I don't begin with the section that left me scratching my head. Instead, I let my fingers play over the keyboard, allowing my thoughts to flow freely in any direction. Typing, not writing, anything that comes into my mind--something like the exercise Julia Cameron recommends as "morning pages" in her book The Artists' Way--a sort of clearing out of the mind in order to let creativity reboot. Surprisingly, I usually find ideas for my current work beginning to bubble up and find their way into the nonsense writing. When I realize I'm back in the flow I return to my project with renewed enthusiasm. WRITE ON!
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