Writing for the Delete Key

There are times when I want to write and re-write, but my story is stuck or my plot has tripped over itself. That’s when I write for the delete key, and discover the magic of problem-solving that happens while doing so.

Writing for the delete key is a fun and powerful tool to have in your writing arsenal. Everything will be subject to a mass highlight and delete (or, if you prefer, bash out a rhythm on your backspace key), and the pressure is off. Write your characters into impossible situations. Play with the details of the scene or chapter and see how your characters work their way out of it. Drop them from the posh New Year’s Eve party that flows logically with your story into the desert without water. Their immediate goals will change, but their voices will still be there.

During this process, talk to your characters, ask them direct questions, and write it all out. Remember this is all going to be axed, so the idea is to keep writing, keep working, and keep your head in the story.

You might see writing as classic as, “boy, I wish I didn’t trap my characters on the uninhabited planet Ziog with a destroyed ship and no hope of survival. Now what? What if the ship just needs more fuel and Ziog is inhabited and the leader has the fuel? What if my characters have something that the leader wants? Yeah! I got it! …” And you write your way out of the corner. You’ll delete everything you wrote, but you’ll keep the answer to the problem.

The important thing is to keep working. If you are going to have something to re-write you’ll first need an idea on the page. Trust that you know your story and characters, and the ideas will come. But, if you’ve closed your laptop or started the dishes, you’re no longer working. And without you, the story can’t continue. Sure, there are those divine moments of inspiration that hit, but they arrive after you’ve been working away, spending time in your story. Writing is a process and you need to be part of it in order for it to work.

When you find your story painted into a corner; stomp through the wet paint proudly. The very act of writing is the best tool for generating and building new ideas. You’ll discover ideas when you’re stuck that would never have shown up on a good day.