Loss of momentum

[Prince of Spires]

I was about to suggest a scene where one or several of the main characters are attacked by an unknown party. I've heard, but never tried, that kind of thing lends itself to getting a story/writing moving when you've stuck a wall.

I think that stems from NaNoWriMo, where a common (though not entirely serious) suggestion if you're stuck is that you should have ninja's attack.

And it should be viewed in that context. Some people who try NaNo will only aim for the 50k word count over all else. And when they get stuck, this is the tip they get. Basically, have something weird and exciting happen and run with that, even if it doesn't fit into your story. Anything goes, as long as it gets words on the page. It's a meme.

 

[Gurkhal]

I think that stems from NaNoWriMo, where a common (though not entirely serious) suggestion if you're stuck is that you should have ninja's attack.

And it should be viewed in that context. Some people who try NaNo will only aim for the 50k word count over all else. And when they get stuck, this is the tip they get. Basically, have something weird and exciting happen and run with that, even if it doesn't fit into your story. Anything goes, as long as it gets words on the page. It's a meme.

You are not entirely correct, but not wrong either, as I checked it up. It comes from a real writer originally but it seems there are several different versions of it floating around.

Chandler's Law - TV Tropes

When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. As codified by pulp novelist Raymond Chandler, Chandler's Law is a concise but evocative piece of advice for writers who have somehow painted themselves into a corner, plotwise …

tvtropes.org

 

[Devor]

I think that stems from NaNoWriMo, where a common (though not entirely serious) suggestion if you're stuck is that you should have ninja's attack.

And it should be viewed in that context. Some people who try NaNo will only aim for the 50k word count over all else. And when they get stuck, this is the tip they get. Basically, have something weird and exciting happen and run with that, even if it doesn't fit into your story. Anything goes, as long as it gets words on the page. It's a meme.

It's partly just wild words. But having ninjas attack is also a good way to dislodge plot points. It shakes up the characters and gives them direction. And eventually you have to start thinking "Who are these ninjas? Why did they attack? Did someone send them? Why would somebody send them?" Then in your next draft you change the ninjas into something like "the fixer team of the imperial knight order" and build up the story.

I picked up something called the "Writer's Emergency Pack" a while ago which is a bunch of cards with suggestions like this one, or "Switch Genres," or reveal an "Imposter" or "Start the Clock." It's kind of helpful to get the thoughts going, but I haven't needed to use it much.