Writer’s block has various causes, and it can be helpful to self-diagnose the root of the problem.
Do you have perfection paralysis, where you worry about how much your first draft sucks
or about ruining a good idea? Or do you suffer from foggy vision, in that you’re uncertain
what happens next in the story, or how in the world it’s all going to fit together in the end?
Maybe the problem is simply boredom—you’ve lost that passion, that spark you once felt,
and now the project feels like a chore. Whatever the cause,
you can attempt to cure yourself of writer’s block by trying out different antidotes.
One: Read other people’s stuff. Go out and get your hands on a book or short story you’ve
been dying to consume, especially if it’s by an author you admire. Pick up childhood favorites
you haven’t read in decades. Spend time browsing books, and read first pages until one snags your
attention, then gobble the whole thing down in a week. If you’re looking for an ego boost,
choose an easy read that you know is going to be a completely cliché, cookie cutter book;
these are the types of stories that will make you go, “Hey, the bar isn’t that high.”
You might also explore nonfiction books—psychology, science, history, memoir.
Once you’ve chosen your reading material, highlight or take pictures of quotes that
stand out to you. Then, after you arrive at the last page, write a review for yourself.
With fiction, think about what the writer did well and what they didn’t, and list examples from the
book to prove your point. If it was a bad book, how would you make it a good one? What strategies
will you pursue or avoid in your own writing based on what this particular novel has taught you?
With nonfiction, you can list facts you learned or muse about the questions the book raised.
How might you incorporate those types of ideas into your work in progress?
Reading is the ultimate panacea because it provides guidance and inspiration.
Two: Read your own stuff. Look at an early chapter of your novel or a draft of a short
story that you’re proud of. Read it slow. Soak it in. Fall in love with yourself.
Afterward, give yourself a pat on the back and say, “Dang, look how much I’ve already written.
If my past self can do it, then my present self can too.” If the writing sucks and you hate it,
think about how you could improve that particular scene or story. Save the old draft, make a new
copy, and revise it in one sitting or just add detailed notes for future revision. Then move on
to write a paragraph of new material, using the confidence you’ve gained from your past self.
Three: Imitate your heroes. Read a few pages from a writer whose work is similar to yours. If you’re
struggling to write an action sequence, find one in their books. Analyze how they structure the
scene. Then, write an action scene for your story as if you are that author. Wear their style like
a well-fitted jacket. You can find more detail about this technique in my Echo Exercises video.
Four: Write in pieces. My brain dislikes writing in sequential order, and I’ll often braindump
entire dialogue exchanges and descriptions from random parts of the story into my notes. These are
usually the juicy bits: tense conversations, cool action scenes, emotional reveals.
I keep each of these dangling scenes in a document separate from my chronological manuscript,
until I get to that point in the story, where I can then paste it into its appropriate slot.
If I write Chapter 16 before Chapter 11, I know I’ll have to bridge those parts,
but it doesn’t feel as daunting because I have both a starting point and a destination—it’s
just a matter of filling in the blanks. I use this technique on a paragraph-to-paragraph
basis as well. I’ll write the opening of the scene and the end of it, then jump around,
barfing out whatever bits of dialogue and description come to me first. Then I write
the parts that will bridge those moments into something cohesive. I have a better idea of
where the scene is going because I’ve already written the end. It’s like doing a jigsaw puzzle:
the more pieces you connect, regardless of where they are, the better you can see the big picture.
You might write a random scene and later determine that it no longer has a place in the story.
But oftentimes the kernel of an idea from these early scene drafts can be recycled and become a
pivotal moment in the final draft. Any writing is better than no writing. Take Jodi Picoult’s
advice to heart: “You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page.”
Five: Make a list. This is helpful when you have no idea where the story is going or the pacing
is starting to drag. Open a new document. Write a question you’re struggling to answer, such as
“Why does he decide to participate in the tournament?” or “What would make this scene
more exciting?” Set a timer for twenty minutes, and list ten possible answers,
no matter how stupid or out there they seem. If your question is simply “What happens next?” be
sure to come up with crazy things that would never happen. The sweet mother accidentally
kills her daughter; the main character cuts his own finger off, on purpose. This exercise
will help you move beyond the obvious paths and travel down one that makes you want to know more.
Six: Summarize. Just thinking about your story is like a hamster running on a wheel,
treading the same path over and over. Your ideas need to leave your head in order to go anywhere.
Say you have only a vague idea of what needs to happen in a particular chapter. For example, the
protagonist accidentally eavesdrops on his best friend and discovers that he’s in cahoots with
the villain. Expand on that summary. Write the play-by-play, as if you’re describing a scene from
a movie, but include the character’s emotions too. I’ve provided an example in the video description.
I always discover new details as I’m writing the summary that would
have never occurred to me with the thoughts floating around in my head.
The key is to summarize the scene into something that can be visualized—then
it’s just a matter of translating that outline into description and dialogue.
Seven: Surprise yourself. This is for when you’ve lost your passion for your work in progress.
What discovery would make you view one of your characters in a new light?
For example, would you be surprised to learn that a religious figure was once an atheist?
Maybe they reveal that in a conversation. Does one character harbor an unexpected crush
on another? Show how their behavior changes when that person is in the room. Use
this new information to keep things interesting and move the story forward.
Find ways to get immersed in your world again, too. Regardless of genre, you could create an odd
tradition specific to the setting or characters. Add an event that shakes the community to its
core, like the death of someone important who meant different things to different people.
If you need to write an interaction between two characters but you’re stagnating,
add a third character or change the players involved in the scene and see if that makes
you write more. If you have two lovers meeting for a tryst, shove their nosy neighbor into the
mix to add humor and conflict. Or try changing the setting—instead of a bedroom, they could be
trying to have smexy times in a cemetery and it’s really not working out. Give yourself something
to look forward to writing, especially in terms of conflict between characters.
Eight: Talk to other writers about your writing.
Describing your story problem to someone else forces you to mentally organize your ideas,
and with organization comes clarity. A good critique partner will provide honest and detailed
feedback. They’ll help you see what you’re doing well and what you need to work harder on.
When asking for feedback, be sure to ask specific questions about your concerns:
How can I improve the believability of the plot? How can I make the protagonist
more likable? What do you think is going to happen next in the story?
In addition, other writers may provide suggestions that you would’ve never come up with by yourself,
and those ideas can lead the story in new, exciting directions.
Nine: Get organized. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the number of possibilities
and edits I need to make. That’s when I know it’s time to declutter. Use an organizational
tool like One Note or Scrivener to create different “compartments” for each scene,
as well as for each character or worldbuilding element. Keep a log of changes you plan to make
for each chapter so that you can reference it later. Whenever I organize my notes,
I inevitably add to them and accidentally write snippets of scenes in the process.
Ten: Research relevant topics. Most writers tend to fall down a rabbit hole while trying to Google
the best way to dispose of a body or what have you. This is a form of procrastination. However,
every so often, give into the urge. Set a timer for two hours. Open as many tabs as your browser
can handle and start a fresh document. Summarize the most useful information in bullet points.
After you’ve compiled all your notes, organize them by subtopic.
Say you have a character who’s on the verge of starvation. You
might research the physical effects, the mental effects, and personal
accounts. You would use those subtopics to organize your notes. Then you can write a
passage from the lens of your character using those details you’ve uncovered. Starvation often
causes hallucinations, for instance, so what would this character in particular hallucinate about?
Use targeted research as the jumping-off point for writing a scene.
Eleven: Reflect. Journal about what you’re stuck on. What do you love about your work
in progress and what’s bothering you? Talk yourself through the problem.
You can also identify your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. What parts of the writing
process do you want to get better at, and what steps can you take to improve? Maybe you struggle
with setting descriptions. Challenge yourself to add more sensory details to your next scene.
Focus on that one aspect during the draft, then go back and edit with other elements in mind.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of STUFF we have to keep in mind while writing;
we have to ensure the characters are consistent, the dialogue sounds realistic, the conflict is
interesting, and a thousand other things. So, narrow it down, and choose one aspect to focus on.
Write scenes that utilize your strengths too. If you’re good at writing romance,
jump into a kissing scene between characters, even if it doesn’t happen until later in the story.
Don’t worry about whether or not it will make it into the final draft. Just write.
Twelve: Change your environment. Writing somewhere else can signal to your brain, “Okay, this place
is a writing space. Get to work.” You could try your local library, a park bench, or a café.
Libraries are my favorite because you’re surrounded by books made by people who also
once agonized over writing a sentence. Sometimes even just writing in another room will help
your concentration. Pretend there’s been a power outage and write by candlelight in your bathtub.
If you don’t want to lose the freedom to write in your underwear, you can change your virtual
environment instead. Make the font size huge so that you feel like you’re writing more pages,
or super small so you don’t keep re-reading it. Change the font style to match the mood of
the story, whether it’s Book Antiqua or Calibri. Write with pencil and paper instead of a keyboard.
Draw your attention to the act of writing by shaking things up.
Thirteen: Start a new project. If you’re feeling truly burned out, give yourself permission to
explore another idea you've been dying to write. Develop an outline for a new novel in a different
genre from the one you’re working on. Draft a 4,000-word short story and polish it until it
shines. Write a 50-word story and submit it to microfiction sites like… 50-Word Stories. Prove
to yourself that you can finish something, and never doubt your mind’s capacity for creativity.
Fourteen: Use music to set the mood. Choose one song to play on repeat that evokes the
emotions you’re looking to write in a particular scene. Let the images play through your mind,
then jot down ideas and draft the scene you’ve envisioned. For a fun, adrenaline-filled action
scene, you might choose “He’s a Pirate” from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack.
While writing a bittersweet goodbye scene, I listened to “Happy” by Marina and the Diamonds
on a loop. Try not to distract yourself by skipping through your music library;
keep your focus on the writing and the mood you’re trying to evoke.
Fifteen: Refresh. You know how your brain sometimes starts going crazy
with ideas at super inconvenient times, such as right before you go to sleep?
Replicate that effect by letting your brain relax. Free your mind from a computer screen and let your
thoughts flow where they may. Go for a run or a hike, play your favorite sport—anything that
gets you heart racing and distracts you. Wear yourself out, then take a long shower or bath.
Meditate. Clean your closet or your bookshelf or your car, something that puts you in a
productive mood. Refresh and start your next writing encounter with a clean slate.
Sixteen: Live life. Stories are inspired by the real world—our experiences, our emotions,
the people around us. So go out and do things. Take a look at your local event
calendar. Learn about mushrooms on a guided hike through a local park. Take a carpentry
class. Visit art exhibits or learn to play a new instrument. Volunteer and meet new people. Take
a day trip somewhere and try out the local attractions.
Afterward, you can journal about the experience in a free verse poem. Capture the sensory details
and feelings of the experience so that you can channel those emotions into a future story.
Seventeen: This. Exactly what you’re doing right now. Books, blogs, podcasts, and videos
about writing can help you view the process in a different light. When looking for advice, target
the specific problem you’re having. If you’re worried your character is flat, find resources
on how to create three-dimensional protagonists. If you’re new to writing in first person,
learn the pros and cons. There are countless resources out there, but a few of my favorites
are the book Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark, the Fiction University blog run by Janice Hardy,
and the Writing Excuses podcast. For more tips on overcoming writer’s block,
Chris Mandeville’s “52 Ways to Get Unstuck” contains a wide range of ideas.
As novelist Erica Jong says, “All writing problems are psychological problems.
Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged. If you imagine the world listening,
you'll never write a line. That's why privacy is so important.
You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.”
In other words, focus on generating ideas, not judging them.
When faced with writer's block, experiment and find what cures work best for you.
Some might be duds and others, well, they might just be magic.
I’ll leave you with one more of my favorite quotes about writing:
“Remember that you can find the most inspiring teachers in every book you love.
Remember that you can be awash in doubt and fear and still write.
Remember that the way out of doubt and fear is through them, one word after another.”
What’s your go-to way of curing writer’s block? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Whatever you do, keep writing.