Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

Let’s be real: writer’s block sucks. Maybe you just can’t find the right words to describe something. Maybe you’ve been avoiding your project for days (or even weeks) because even just thinking about it is overwhelming. The good news is that you’re not alone, and you’re not a bad writer for experiencing writer’s block. Consider it a rite of passage; even the best writers struggle sometimes.

What fixes writer’s block may be different for everybody, but the following are some tips that have worked for me and other writers I know.

Figure Out What’s Causing Your Writer's Block

The first step needs to be figuring out what is causing your writer’s block. Are you burned out? Are you just bored with the scene you’re writing? Are you worried that it’s not good enough? Are you unsure of what is going to happen next? Depending on why you’re experiencing the block, some of the tips below may help more than others.

Just Write Something

If your problem is that what you’re writing just isn’t that great, then stop worrying about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s good, so long as you’ve got something on the page. After all, you can edit and rewrite even the worst drivel, but you can’t do that with nothing. Put something as a placeholder, or skip ahead to another scene that you’re having better ideas for. Start a different draft with the express purpose of it being the “bad” draft. It doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it, just write anything, no matter how terrible it might be.

The main thing that I need to overcome in my own writing is the perception that even the first draft needs to be perfect, and this method helps me to reframe how I’m thinking about it.

Embrace the Bad

If you’ve got writer’s block, what you write during that period may be bad. And that’s totally okay! No one can be perfect and no one can be at the top of their game all the time. If what you produce while suffering from writer’s block isn’t that great, then no big deal. You’ve still written something despite the block and that is something to be proud of. Progress is still progress and however you need to move forward, it’s better than staying stuck where you were before.

Step Away From Your Writing

Sometimes you just need a break. If you keep your brain working constantly, then you aren’t giving it the rest it needs to generate new ideas. If you’re having trouble thinking of what to have happen next, stepping away for a bit and thinking about something else entirely can help your brain reset. I’ve found that getting away from my computer for a bit and going for a walk results in ideas just popping into my head without much effort while just an hour earlier I’d been struggling to think of even one thing to have happen next.

Read a Book

Instead of trying to create something new, try reading something instead. You may just be in need of some fresh inspiration. Imagine your creativity as a well. You can’t draw from it if there’s nothing in it. Reading from your genre can help to refill your creative well. I’ve found it helpful to see what others in my genre are doing. You have to know the tropes before you can play with them. And sometimes there are just examples of what I don’t want to do.

Chat With ChatGPT

I’m not suggesting that you use AI to generate the text of your novel. But there are a lot of uses for an AI chatbot beyond just text generation. I chat with mine like it’s a friend that I’m bouncing ideas off of. I used to do this with an actual person, sitting down and refining an idea until it was good enough to start putting on paper. But I can’t chat with my friends about it at midnight and I imagine that they’re tired of discussing ideas with me and just want to read the finished work at this point. ChatGPT or the generative AI of your choice can help.

Of course, you don’t have to use AI–you could talk to your dog or a houseplant. The point is to be able to have someone or something to bounce some ideas off of and refine those ideas. It can truly help untangle your thoughts and put them in order so that you can work with them.

Try a Writing Prompt

There are writing prompts all over the Internet, or you could ask ChatGPT for some to get you started. Even if it’s completely unrelated to your project, it can still help jumpstart your writing and creative process. You could even turn it into a challenge, to try the weirdest prompt you can find. The point of this exercise is to write without any kind of pressure for it to be good or even a part of your main process. You can return to your main project once you’ve overcome whatever is blocking your writing.

Think Outside of the Box

These tips may not work all the time or for everyone. I once had to have a particularly “tell it like it is” friend tell me that my writing was good and to stop being stupid and move on from obsessively rewriting my first chapter. That worked for me. I moved on and continued writing, finally moving past where I’d been stuck. You may need a similar outside-of-the-box solution, depending on the reason for your writer’s block.

You're Not Alone

Just know that you’re not alone. Every writer has to deal with writer’s block at some point and develop their own methods for getting past it. You will, too, I promise. Now get out there and write!