For some courses of action, the first step is the hardest. Joining the Army. Making a dental appointment. Talking to someone you find attractive. For writing, it’s getting to the finish that’s usually hardest. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, getting an idea and writing a few sentences isn’t hard. But somewhere along the way, you’ll often get stuck.

In my case, writing factual pieces, it isn’t writer’s block in the normal sense. It’s usually that there’s something I don’t understand well enough. A lot of times, I write about something that I generally understand but I’m not an expert on. I have to pick up a more complete sense of the topic. What I’ve researched fits together, yet there’s something left unsaid that I need to figure out in order to create a satisfactory article. Sometimes it’s actually an unimportant detail, and eventually I decide I’m just obsessing over it. But usually it’s something central to the topic, and if I don’t understand it, I could be basing my whole article on a false premise.

It’s most painful when everything I find with Web searches just assumes the hidden point. I’m asking myself, “Why is it that way? Why do people working in this area do that rather than something else?” Maybe it’s so obvious that everyone in the field just recognizes it. Maybe it’s so difficult a question that everyone shies away from it. Whatever it is, no matter how I phrase my search query, I can’t find an answer that satisfies me.

Finding another approach

Usually I can find the information with enough persistence, but it’s hard to keep going when it seems my wheels are just spinning. That’s when it’s most tempting to get lost in Twitter or Dreamwidth or TV Tropes. The truth is, taking a break from the question really can help. Just letting my mind work in the background can yield a new approach to the question. The trick is not to turn it into wasted time.

An activity that doesn’t demand my attention often works. I’ll get on the exercise bike (or my real bike, now that the weather is improving) or walk in the woods. I’ve come up with answers to nagging questions while getting a root canal, but I don’t recommend getting one just for that purpose. The diversion doesn’t get me any new information, but what I need is a new way to think about the issue, a new question to ask.

I don’t recommend writing the rest of the article and coming back to the tough point. If there’s a key issue which I don’t understand, then that’s going to be wasted effort. Researching the rest of the article can help, though. It might turn up the answer, or a key to finding it, from an unexpected angle. Sometimes, of course, I can just ask the client. But depending on what site I’m working through, that isn’t always an option. Sometimes, too, the client is relying on my expertise and doesn’t have the answers I need.

Sometimes, though, the information isn’t available, at least without an effort that’s out of proportion to the pay. Sometimes I have to admit that I don’t understand the topic well enough to write the article. If there’s no penalty for backing out, I may do that. Other times, I’ll figure out an angle on the topic where I’m more confident in my understanding.

It’s a balancing act. I won’t intentionally submit substandard work, but I may not always be able to do the job I’d like to do. If I can create something which I think will satisfy the client and it’s the best I can do, I will.