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How to Cure Writer’s Block: 23 Proven Ideas that Actually Work

T he fact is that almost every writer faces writer’s block at some point in their career. Deadlines, storylines or even airlines can be the cause of this intellectual affliction. Writer’s block is real and can greatly affect your output.

But, every writer of note has willed themselves out of this mental stupor. Writer’s block doesn’t have to stop a budding Homer in their tracks.

There are many ways to overcome this form of procrastination that works wonders.

Today, let’s look at 23 ways that prove effective to help you get rid of writer’s block.

But first…

writer's block DEFINITION

What is writer's block.

Writer’s block is when a writer experiences creative slowdown or can't create new work; essentially an artistic full-stop. It’s the inability of an author to compose new, original material that moves a narrative forward. The term writer’s block is used in reference to any writing or composition process where creativity is stunted. The production of new work grinds to a halt. It’s often referred to as creative constipation. Frustration, fear, anger, dread, and other strong emotions sometimes accompany it.

What causes writer's block?

• Distractions
• Physical illness
• Bills piling up
• Procrastination
• Intimidation

1. How to cure writer's block

Read for inspiration .

One of the best ways to overcome writer’s block is to read. Whether your favorite author or someone new, reading is a reliable cure.

When you take in another writer’s words on the page — a writer who has in all likelihood overcome the block as well, at some point — it challenges and motivates you to get the words out.

The inspiration for many writers is their own writing heroes. Shakespeare to Faulkner, Byron to Plath, all have their own styles and voices that have nourished generations of creatives. Writer’s block gloms onto the idle, not the well-read.

You could open the best screenwriting books for writer’s block help. So pick up a Kindle or an actual bound book, and kickstart the motivation.

​ ​ “The journey of a thousand words begins with the first.”

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2. how to get rid of writer's block

Write away your writer's block.

Even if you copy words from another source, getting something down on your screen or pad is a useful tool to get rid of blockage.

What is writer’s block, after all, but a stoppage of writing?

So do the opposite: just write.

Try transcribing a poem or song lyrics and see what happens.

Whip up a to-do list, an outline for another project or story, a free-association paragraph or two. You’ll discover it goes a long way.

Just as the adage “fake it 'til you make it” fits the bill in business, it also works with writing. Get the writing muscles moving and your brain will catch up before you know it.

There is nothing bad about writing something that, on the surface, appears unusable. It’s practice. You’re training your mind and fingertips for what matters.

If Chris Brown gets stuck in writer's block, he'll just "write it out."

Chris Brown's cure for writer's block is to "just write it out!"

3. how to get rid of writer's block, use a writing prompt.

Writing prompts are an effective way to overcome writer’s block. Having another brain issue a challenge can get a lot of writers going, even you.  

Writer’s D ​ ​ igest and Reddit both offer a roundup of prompts to get you started. You may even consider single words, colors, or phrases as prompts and take it from there.  

Prompts from writer-specific sites can be more in-tune with the level at which professional writers work. But the whimsy of other random sites and ideas can also do much to alleviate writer’s block.

This is basically looking without, instead of looking within, for what to do when you have writer’s block. Taking the pressure off yourself can free your mind and get the ball (- point pen) rolling.

“The wonderful thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting. The terrifying thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting.”

― J.K. Rowling

4. How to get over writer's block

Develop a character.

Since you want to know how to get over your block, create a character who already has the answers.

The character you describe in writing doesn’t even need to have meaning, only features. A woman with red hair, green eyes, and a pout. A pimple-faced man in a trucker hat. Throw in a verb and a location and you have the beginning of a story.

“A woman with red hair, green eyes, and a pout stands in front of her bedroom mirror …”

“A pimple-faced man in a trucker hat sprints down the sidewalk …”

The character doesn’t necessarily have to know all the right answers.

You can even create a version of yourself. Some of the best characters came about this way. If the character turns into a cure, then you’ve created the right character.

You can even use a character development worksheet to get this process going even faster.

Free downloadable bonus

Download free character development sheet.

If you're going to develop a new character, it's critical to lay out the ins and outs for a fully-formed character.  Download our FREE, worksheet to get you started.

• TV Development: Creating Characters →
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• Free Character Development Worksheet →

5. how to cure writer's block

Try a different genre.

If you want to figure out how to get past writer’s block, we recommend switching up your writing genre. If you are a screenwriter, write a short story or essay. If you’re a novelist, write a poem.

It’s almost as like taking a vacation from your usual writing style and vocation to explore a new voice.  It is a new way to interpret the world. Also, you might consider writing your same format, but with a different style or approach.        

Expository writing can be tiresome. Try a few lines of descriptive text. Next, maybe a persuasive argument within your story.  

Writer’s block shuts the door. These style exercises open windows.

6. how to overcome writer's block

Put together a puzzle.

Working with other parts of the brain can be a big help.

Whether it’s a jigsaw puzzle, tangram, sudoku, or crossword, puzzling your brain stimulates dopamine and gives you a creativity boost.

Furthermore, the analytical nature of a puzzle bleeds into the writer’s craft. Putting yourself in a headspace to analyze or assess can lead to overcoming writer’s block.

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7. how to get rid of writer's block

Change your music.

Playing music can be a good method for how to get over writer’s block. If it’s not working, change the music.

Now, change it again. Deejay your way out of a corner.

Music has been a cure to spur creativity ever since authors put quill to paper. Music not only calms the savage beast, but it also inspires the blocked writer.

We’re partial to Bach for curing writer’s block but AC/DC may do for you

Youtube and Spotify playlists exist that focus on writer’s block help. Ultimately, only you can determine what music works best.

A lot of writers swear by Elgar or Handel when crafting period-specific tales, for example.

8. HOW TO GET over OF WRITER'S BLOCK

Practice another art form.

This trick is one of the most fun ways to get the creative juices flowing. Singing, painting, sculpting, or dancing will get your creative juices flowing. Bust out the watercolors. Take out crayons and doodle away.

Download the Pulp Fiction script and act out the scene between Vincent and Jules as they clean up the car.

Practicing another art also gives you a built-in writing prompt: “A writer dances in the living room, loud music shaking the floor …”

You get the idea.

“Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all.”

— Charles Bukowski

9. HOW TO GET RID OF WRITER'S BLOCK

Find a new hobby.

A craft or hobby can be the best answer for beating the creative blues.

Whittling, cobbling, and cooking all count as hobbies! So do gardening, knitting, and collecting snow globes.

A hobby or craft gives the mind a sense of workflow and completion. They require attention. They force your brain to focus.

Focus is an enemy of writer’s block and a friend to the writer.

So if you don’t have a hobby, maybe it’s time to find one. Your world and your writing will broaden. Try your local community college, which undoubtedly has an array of classes.

Some people knit, others whittle to get rid of writer’s block

10. getting over writer's block, watch a short film.

Watching a short film, a concise and contained story, is a surefire solution to moving forward with whatever you’re writing.

Just like features, short films provide different perspectives, new ways of thinking, emotion, and closure ― but in less time.

Voila! You’ve just written your way out of the doldrums.

Take a look at a genre-specific short film. Make a quick outline of it. Then expand on the story in a few sentences. What happens next?

What is writer’s block? Bryan Cranston knows all too well.

• The Best Short Films of All Time →
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• Rules for Writing Award-Worthy Short Films →

11. GETTING OVER WRITER'S BLOCK

Try cleaning your house.

Artists tend to work in spaces consumed by things. If this sounds like you, try a quick tidy-up. You might find that un-cluttering your workspace also de-clutters your mind. Cleaning gives you a “fresh start” and might lead to overcoming writer’s block.  

This is a question of taste. If you discover that clutter works for you, by all means, keep it messy.

But shift your clutter around. Seeing your area, even your mountains of clutter, in a new light is what you’re after.

When afternoon sun reflects off the south face of your newly rearranged laundry pile, you might get inspired.

Since you need to know how to get over unproductively, we’ll emphasize right here that cleaning or rearranging your stuff is a go-to cure.

“Breaking through writer’s block is like thinking out of the box: Both require an ability to imagine a world outside your four walls or rearranging them to get a better view.”

— Susan J. McIntire

12. HOW TO CURE WRITER'S BLOCK

Create a story circle.

The story circle is a storytelling tool and it helps you improve the structure of a story and was originally based on Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. 

As a writing exercise, this can be effective to write out your story and think of all the elements holistically as a way to kick your writer's block. 

Dan Harmon's story circle

• Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in 17 Steps →
• Internal and External Conflict Can Energize Your Story →
• FREE Download: Script Breakdown Sheet Template →

13. GETTING OVER WRITER'S BLOCK

Complete a simple task.

Completing a simple task is another way to move forward and get past writer’s block.

Taking out the trash, scrambling eggs, and watering plants all have the potential to impact creativity. You’ll also be able to scratch a chore off your list.

Making coffee is a simple and quick task. It also leads beautifully to the next item on our list of how to get over writer’s block.

Whatever your simple task is, make sure it isn’t stress-inducing in any way. Stressful tasks can be counterproductive. Multitasking, too, is not the best answer to cure your block. Stick to one thing.

14. GETTING OVER WRITER'S BLOCK

Make a writing schedule.

Does a routine sound boring?

As a writer, a routine can be your best friend.

Sitting down to write at the same time every day, and for the same length of time, forces the creative mind to produce the goods. If you go into it treating writing as your job, then you are simply more likely to get your job done.

That doesn’t mean it has to be a chore or a hassle. The fun and inspiration will come. Routine is the process you use to get to that place of fun and inspiration.

Your schedule can be your best cure when the muse won’t visit.

Your schedule doesn’t have to be ironclad, but routine and consistency are what you’re going for here.

Every film needs a  shooting schedule .

Every writer needs a writing schedule. Routine is not a dirty word.

“Writer’s block? I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the f***ing morning and writing for a living.”  

—  Warren Ellis

15. Writer's block cure

Practice a new language.

This is one of our favorites hacks for keeping pen to paper. The beauty of French, the structure of Japanese, the melody of Italian, the vowels of Arabic — learning another language, or involving a language you already have mastered, can give you a big creative push.  

Maybe one of the characters you’ve created speaks another language. This backstory alone can get a writer over a hurdle. Mashable has tips on where to look to learn a new language.

Another hack is to take a poem or phrase in another language and use it as the focus of your story.

For instance,  je ne sais quois …  What does the French term mean? How can it be applied to your work?

Research the history of the phrase, and your writing will take on a whole new life.

How do you say writer’s block in Swedish?

16. writer's block cure, drink some coffee.

We aren’t the first to suggest coffee to boost output. Caffeine does wonders stimulating the mind. It spurs writers in every medium to get moving. Literally, it’s a diuretic.

If caffeine isn’t for you, other natural stimulants exist. Ginseng, ginkgo biloba, and ― oh yes, wait for it ― dark chocolate all act as natural stimulants

“I don’t sit around waiting for passion to strike me. I keep working steadily because I believe it is our privilege as humans to keep making things. Most of all, I keep working because I trust that creativity is always trying to find me, even when I have lost sight of it.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert

17. GETTING OVER WRITER'S BLOCK

Change your scenery.

This seems like a no-brainer in our quest for a writer’s block cure. Still, most people get stuck in a rut that has less to do with what they’re doing than where they’re doing it.

Even something as simple as changing the direction you usually face when you’re writing can do wonders for your creative energy.

It can also do wonders for your characters. Travel is an eye-opening experience.

This is true with the people you come across. Meeting and observing new people in new places will get you past writer’s block.

What is writer’s block? It’s quicksand.

What is travel? It’s movement and a lifeline.

“There's a lot of optimism in changing scenery, in seeing what's down the road."

― Conor Oberst

18. WRITER'S BLOCK cure

Get some exercise.

Exercise does wonders for the body and mind. Endorphins give you a runner’s high, which can translate to productivity and energy in all other areas of life and work.

You don’t have to run a marathon or do hot yoga to get the blood pumping. Try alternating between 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups every 10 minutes over the course of an hour.

It’ll do wonders.

Pick something easy. Even stretching helps. Remember, objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Remaining sedentary will make sure your writer’s block doesn’t go anywhere, either.

How to overcome writer’s block? Get fit!

19. writer's block cure, go outside and play.

Let’s face it, if you’re stuck at a computer with a bad case of the blank page, it might mean that you aren’t living enough to write about living. What can you do?

Get outside and live a little. Or, go outside and live a lot!

Laughter and joy in the real world can be the perfect antidote to the crime series you’re creating. Even a writer’s group counts as play. You’re engaging, communicating ― living.

Join a group of writers to get rid of writer's block.

20. WRITER'S BLOCK CURE

Dictate and record.

Maybe the most fun way to overcome your impediment is to tell yourself a story out loud and record it, giving you a solid place to start.

Even kicking off with “once upon a time” requires creative expansion. Pretend you have an audience. Children, old folks, tourists, a judge: your imagined audience can guide your tone.

You might find that, for now, it’s easier to tell a story than to write it. Use what you’ve got!

If you want to get over your block? Tell yourself a story.

21. WRITER'S BLOCK CURE

Have a cocktail to cure writer’s block.

I don’t advocate resorting to alcohol all the time, but sipping a cocktail has certainly helped many a writer.

There is a fine line between having a drink to loosen up and being unable to type from blurry-eyed tequila-vision . You don’t want to spend every waking hour seeing the world at a dutch angle .

So you’ve taken a sip. Now use your drink as a writing prompt. What does it look like, taste like, and feel like as you swallow?

Hey doc, I’ve got the writer’s block.

Take two sips and call me in the morning.

“When you work hard all day with your head and know you must work again the next day what else can change your ideas and make them run on a different plane like whiskey? When you are cold and wet what else can warm you?”

—  Ernest Hemingway

22. WRITER'S BLOCK CURE

Go through a guided visualization.

If you feel a creative block approaching, it could also be due to overthinking. Another way to clear your mind is through guided visualization — which is easier than mediating and a great way to activate the imagination.

This could take about 10-minutes, but it can be a surefire way of shaking you out of things.

Follow along right here:

Guided visualization to cure writer's block

23. writer's block cure, clear your mind to cure writer's block.

The truth is, prayer, meditation, yoga, or whatever you want to do to center your creative mind, can be clutch as a cure for writer’s block. Meditative activities such as prayer help to center the creative mind.

The clean slate in your head can inspire you when you face the clean slate of the page.

How to overcome writer’s block? Meditate

Tips for writing short films.

We’ve given you ideas for overcoming writer’s block. Try one, try a few, or try them all.  But most importantly keep writing. Make note of what works for you — we promise something will.

But make sure you realize that when you can’t create, it’s usually a mental block more than creative one. Now that you’ve kicked the muse to the curb, it’s time to focus your writing even more. Learn the best tips for writing a short film that gets noticed.

Up Next: Write a Short Film that Gets Noticed →

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Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

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Most writers experience writer’s block at some point in their life, at various stages of the writing process. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor. But there are ways to combat writer’s block on your own, too! When you’re having trouble figuring out what to write next, consider these common types of writer’s block and try the strategies that sound most promising.

If you're having trouble finding a starting place for the assignment...

• Brainstorm topics that are interesting to you. Use the invention strategies suggested by a tutor or teacher to generate questions or thoughts that serve as useful starting places.
• Write down all the primary ideas you'd like to express and then fill in each with the smaller ideas that make up each primary idea. This can easily be converted into an outline .
• If your paper involves conducting research, you can look for places where you disagree with another thinker’s claim or feel more work needs to be done. Identifying gaps or conflicts in the existing conversation around a topic is often a great starting place.

Example: You’ve been asked to analyze a television commercial. You remember three commercials that you found interesting and re-watch them, taking notes on details that stand out to you. You freewrite for five minutes on each of the three commercials, and discover that you have much more to say about one than the others. You focus on that one, expanding your freewrite into the an outline for the entire essay.

If you have a topic and an outline, but can’t think of an interesting beginning…

• After the paper is completely drafted, you can get all the sections in the correct order and read it start-to-finish to ensure that transitions are smooth.

Example: You have to complete a lab report and hate writing the “Introduction” section. In order to complete the project on time, you overcome your anxiety about writing that section by first writing the “Materials,” “Method,” and “Results” sections. You write the “Introduction” last, reorder, and revise holistically.

If you’ve chosen or been assigned a topic that bores you…

• If you’ve chosen a common topic just because you thought it would be easy to write on, reconsider: it’s easiest to write about something in which you have a personal interest.
• If you can’t change the major scope or goal of the assignment, try to understand why you’re being asked to write it. What knowledge will you gain from completing the assignment? What skills will you be able to practice? Who would benefit from reading my finished product, and how would that positively change that community?

Example: You work for your campus newspaper and have been assigned to write an article on an upcoming career fair. Although at first your editor asks you to simply inform students of what companies will be represented at the event, you find that you’re much more interested in profiling a certain company that’s new to the fair. You talk to your editor and get permission to write the article that engages you more.

Example: The same scenario as above, but your editor tells you that you have to write the original, more general article. Although it’s boring to you, you reflect that you’ll gain practice presenting a mass of information in concise language, certainly a useful skill for a journalist. Additionally, there are thousands of students on campus who would benefit from the information your article will cover. This motivates you to write the article.

If you don’t understand the assignment…

• The better you can articulate the source of confusion, the more help others can give you.

Example: Your composition instructor has asked you to write a Digital Literacy Narrative. The assignment sheet provides a definition of “digital literacy,” and you have some class notes that further clarify the concept. But after reviewing these materials, you’re still not certain if your instructor would allow you to write about how you learned to use different coffee-making technologies, as they aren’t traditionally considered digital devices. You go to your instructor’s office hours to ask if this topic would be acceptable, taking your annotated assignment sheet and class notes with you.

If you’re worried that you’ll write the wrong thing…

• Remember that the first draft is not the final draft. If you’re not sure that an argument will pan out, just start writing it and see where it takes you. You can always delete paragraphs that don’t work out later, but the best insights often come from pushing yourself into uncertain territory—if you never feel unsure about your claims, you’re probably just reproducing existing findings!
• If you’re worried that a small detail is incorrect, that’s okay in the draft phase. Rather than spending a lot of time checking every small detail as you go, just leave a note to yourself to check your sources later. Or, leave the troublesome paragraph for later and work on a section that you’re more confident writing about.

Example: You’re writing a paper on King Henry VIII and can’t remember off the top of your head whether he beheaded two or three of his wives. The answer to this question wouldn’t change your major argument either way, so you decide it’s not important to look up right now. You write “two,” highlight it, and leave a note to yourself to check this minor supporting fact against your research notes later.

If you’re worried that your sentences aren’t polished enough…

• Remember, again, that the first draft is not the final draft. The sooner you get some words on the page, the more time you’ll have to edit your prose for clarity and style later. Complete an entire draft before you start editing on the sentence level.
• If you find yourself consistently obsessing over individual sentences as you go, try dimming or covering your laptop or computer monitor’s screen so that you can’t see what you’re typing. You can also try writing in a notebook and typing up your work later.
• Consciously stop any non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. Rather than labeling yourself a “bad writer,” think about what parts of the writing process you excel at (idea generation, conclusions, sentence style, etc.) and plan to allot more time for the steps that take you longer.

Example: You’re writing a paper on the effects of all-nighters on college student’s health. You can’t think of the word “deleterious.” After a few seconds of futilely scanning your brain for it, you write “super harmful,” knowing that you can find the more professional word later.

If you’re so stressed out that you can’t seem to put a word on the page…

• Take a short break! If you’re close to a deadline and worried about losing track of time, then set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and use that short window to relax before getting back to work. Stretch, move away from your desk, and don’t neglect your sleeping and eating schedule. It’s much harder to write if you’re sleep-deprived or dehydrated.
• If you have several days left before your deadline, break the assignment into manageable parts. Set measurable writing goals for yourself, like writing without interruption for thirty minutes every day, or writing a certain number of words by a given deadline.
• Finally, ask for help! Writing is most stressful when you’re doing it by yourself for a long period of time. Asking a tutor or a friend to talk through your ideas can help you get some perspective on the assignment, and remind you that it’s nothing to be anxious about.

Example: You have a week before an important job application is due and you’re anxious that the search committee will dislike your cover letter before you’ve even written it. Since you still have plenty of time before the deadline, you plan to work on it for just thirty minutes every day. You talk to a friend who helps you make a list of reasons why you’re qualified for this job, and you stick to your writing schedule.

If you’re easily distracted when you open your computer to write…

• Try temporarily disabling your internet access. Take your laptop to a space that doesn’t have internet access. Draft by hand in a notebook and type up your work later. Or, simply turn your computer’s wifi detector off, or put your document into full-screen or “Focus” mode: these obstacles are easy to overcome, but the time it takes to make the few extra clicks to open an internet browser is sometimes enough to stop yourself.
• You can also try setting a timer forcing yourself to do nothing but write for a short period of time. Even a ten-minute focused writing session can help you break through initial writer’s block and build momentum on your project.

Example: You start to work on your paper, and after writing one sentence feel the impulse to watch just one YouTube video. However, as you have wisely decided to take your computer to the house of a friend who doesn’t have internet, your browser gives you a frowny face and an error message. You return to your paper and keep writing.

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Last updated on Apr 05, 2024

Writer's Block: How to Overcome Writing Constipation

Writer's block can hit at any point in a writer's career. Though he might deny it, the fact that George R.R. Martin has been writing the next installment of his Song of Ice and Fire saga for over 13 years might suggest that even the most successful and prolific writers are not immune to authorial constipation.

In this guide, we'll examine the possible causes of writer's block and share some of our favorite remedies for this most dreaded of creative curses.

What is Writer's Block?

Writer's block is a common challenge in the creative process that causes writers to stagnate while writing their works. It occurs when authors struggle to think of ideas or generate new material. Many writers will try to push through it and hope it goes away on its own. While this often works, the specific cause of chronic writer’s block often needs to be diagnosed before it can be dealt with. 

According to Doctor Reedsy (not a medical doctor), the most common causes of writer's block include:

Lack of motivation. Without a reason to write — consequences should you not complete your writing on time — your creative drive can run dry.

Loss of confidence in your ideas. You may have plenty of ideas, but nothing seems quite right or worthy of being written about.

Anxiety over the quality of your work. Imposter syndrome is a real thing and can leave you paralyzed

Toxic perfectionism. Do you find yourself re-writing sentences endlessly? Then this might be your issue.

Real-life problems getting in the way.  Bills? Children? Social obligations? These can all stop you from writing.

So, what's next?

10 Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Now that we've established the cause of your particular strain of creative constipation, there are plenty of concrete ways to combat writer’s block! 

How to overcome writer's block:

• Determine the root of the problem 
• List your favorite books and writers 
• Build a solid routine 
• Write it badly at first 
• Find a different way into the story
• Start in the middle 
• Optimize your toolkit 
• Write something else
• Do something other than writing 
• Stop believing in the myth of writer’s block

1. Determine the root of the problem 

Contrary to what you might think, writer’s block isn’t a sign that you’re a “bad writer” — it’s something that almost every writer will face at some point. But while most writers have this experience in common, the underlying causes can be quite different.

So let's dig deep: why are you really blocked? Ask yourself:

• Do I feel pressure to succeed and/or compete with other writers?
• Have I lost sight of what my story is about, or interest in where it's going?
• Do I lack confidence in my own abilities, even if I've written plenty before?
• Have I not written for so long that I feel intimidated by the mere act?
• Am I simply feeling tired and run down?

Each of these problems has a different solution. For example, if perfectionism is strangling your writing, you might try leaning into the fact that no one’s first draft is perfect — in which case, tactic #4 on this list could really help you. Or if you’re feeling uninspired, you could turn to some of the resources in #7!

Of course, there’s no quick fix for any one of these causes. But understanding where your problem lies will help you know which tips are best for you as you go through our list.

2. List your favorite books and writers 

What inspired you to start writing in the first place? Perhaps you’ve got a favorite book you could turn to — or an author you admire. When you find yourself feeling stuck, it can really help to return to these sources to reignite that initial spark. 

Take The Great Gatsby , for example — are you drawn to the parties and glamor of 1920s New York? Perhaps you’re captivated by the extravagant, larger-than-life characters or the drama and intrigue throughout the story. Or maybe you love the literary embellishments of Nabokov — it might be tough at first, but you could try writing in a similarly elaborate style.

Work out what you look for in the books you read, whatever it might be, and incorporate that into your own work. (And the next time you find yourself wanting inspiration, well, that’s a perfect excuse to read even more!)

3. Build a solid routine 

Author and dancer Twyla Tharp once wrote, “Creativity is a habit.” This might seem counterintuitive to some — isn’t creativity something that naturally ebbs and flows, not something you can schedule? But the truth is, if you only write when you “feel creative”, you’re bound to get stuck in a rut. One of the best ways to push through is by writing on a regular schedule. 

You may already have a routine of sorts, but if you’re experiencing writer’s block, it’s time to switch things up. Figure out the days and times that really work best for you — if you feel most productive in the mornings, it could be worth waking up half an hour earlier to squeeze in some writing. Or, if you prefer low-pressure writing sessions, you could try Sunday afternoons when you have no other commitments.

Whichever days and times you choose, be consistent. The only way to build a reliable routine is to actually stick to your chosen sessions! Give it at least 3-4 weeks, and you’ll start seeing real progress.

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4. Write it badly at first 

Many writers suffer from perfectionism, which is especially debilitating during a first draft. Reedsy editor Lauren Hughes says:

“Blocks often occur because writers put a lot of pressure on themselves to sound ‘right’ the first time. A good way to loosen up and have fun again in a draft is to give yourself permission to write imperfectly.”

Writers often spend hours looking for the perfect phrasing to illustrate a concept. You can avoid this fruitless (and block-engendering) endeavor by putting, “In other words…” and simply writing what you’re thinking, whether it’s eloquent or not. You can then come back and refine it later by doing a CTRL+F search for “in other words.”

And if you’re truly paralyzed, you might consider the extreme solution of The Most Dangerous Writing App . Just set up a timed writing session, and if you stop typing for more than a few seconds, all your text will disappear. Needless to say, this app lives up to its name — but if you’re desperate to stop overthinking everything you write, it’s sure to get the job done!

5. Find a different way into the story

To move beyond a block, Hughes also suggests trying to see your story from another perspective. “How might a minor character narrate the scene if they were witnessing it? A ‘fly on the wall’ or another inanimate object?” Altering your story’s point of view (even temporarily) is a great way to break out of mental constraints and gain new insight.

To see point of view in action, here's an in-depth look at what POV is, complete with various examples .

Alternatively, going deeper into the backstory of one of your main characters could give you a better understanding of their motivations — which will, in turn, drive your story forward. Ask yourself what would make your character satisfied with their life. What are their goals? What are they willing to risk to achieve them? Once you have the answers to these broader questions, you can look at them in any scenario and ask, “What is their goal in this particular situation? What action(s) will they take to pursue it?”

For example, if your protagonist’s main goal were to save up and move away, how would they react if their best friend asked for a loan? Or if they entered a new relationship right before they were due to leave?

Different personalities and goals lead to conflicts that drive your story — indeed, if a POV change or more backstory doesn’t fix your writer’s block, go ahead and dive straight into conflict! Which leads into our next tip... 

Understanding Point of View

Learn to master different POVs and choose the best for your story.

6. Start in the middle 

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about starting at the beginning when writing a story — if you feel more excited about the middle, then start there! Or maybe you know exactly how you want your story to end and would prefer to work backward. Either way, you’ll feel less pressure to make a good impression with your first scene — and by the time you return to the beginning, you’ll be all warmed up!

If you haven’t already, you could also try mapping out your story in full to get a better idea of the bigger picture. Though improvising is fun, an outline will provide a much clearer picture of where your story’s heading and might give you a boost to keep writing! Not to mention that figuring out your story's trajectory can not only solve your current block but also prevent more blocks in the future.

FREE RESOURCE

Get our Book Development Template

Use this template to go from a vague idea to a solid plan for a first draft.

As author Tom Evans says, when you start outlining, you’ll find that “the information you need to write that following chapter has an uncanny way of just showing up. Your brain tunes in to what you need to write... and the chapter just flows.” With this blueprint in hand, you’ll have a much easier time constructing your story.

7. Optimize your toolkit 

• The Reedsy Book Editor is a free tool that will format your book for you as you write — it even comes with a built-in goal reminder system!
• The Plot Generator with one million plot combinations is a great place to start if you’re stuck for inspiration. 
• Or try the Character Name Generator if you’re working on fleshing out some of your side characters.

FREE WRITING APP

The Reedsy Book Editor

Set goals, track progress, and establish your writing routine in our free app.

8. Write something else

Sometimes it can help to take your mind off your current project and work on something else. Don’t worry — we’re not suggesting you ditch your novel and start a new one, but taking some time away to write something else could leave you feeling refreshed and even spark ideas for your other work!

Using the tools from our last tip, you could try writing the outline for a plot completely different from your main project, or fleshing out the backstory of a random character from the generator (use the questions from #5 to help you out!). If none of these take your fancy, check out Reedsy Prompts for over 1,000 short story prompts to help get your creative juices flowing!

9. Do something other than writing 

Showering, going for a walk, and preparing a nutritious meal are tasks that most people would agree are easier than writing a novel — but they can all help give you space to daydream and make creative connections that you might otherwise miss. Just lather, rinse, and repeat until you’ve kicked that block to the curb!

Creativity breeds creativity

Feel like you need more time away? That’s no problem! Try and find other creative projects to inspire you. Children’s book editor Maria Tunney finds that one of the best ways to climb out of a writing funk is to take yourself out of your own work and into someone else’s:

“Go to an exhibition, to the cinema, to a play, a gig, eat a delicious meal — immerse yourself in great stuff and get your synapses crackling in a different way. Snippets of conversations, sounds, colors, sensations will creep into the space that once felt empty. Perhaps, then, you can return to your own desk with a new spark of intention.”

Remember, everyone needs to take a break from their work from time to time. Trying to force words onto a page when you’re burnt out will do more harm than good — and taking some time away could be just what you need to get the wheels turning again.

10. Stop believing in the myth of writer’s block

Writing is hard — there’s no doubt about it. After spending anywhere from weeks to years working on a project, you’re bound to feel frustrated if you reach a seemingly insurmountable roadblock. That said, there is always a root cause of the problem — and though it may take some time and dedication, there’ll be a way to solve it.

On top of all the tactics listed above, here are a few mantras to keep in mind as you attempt to tackle your writer’s block:

• “There is no permanent block, only temporary setbacks.”
• “It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.”
• “Every great writer has been here too.”

There’s no magic trick or formula when it comes to overcoming writer’s block. But if you add these 10 tips to your creative arsenal, you’ll be well on your way to kicking it to the curb!

Continue reading

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Writer’s block—wanting to write and not writing—is a persistent problem that every writer (yes, every writer, even Stephen King ) deals with. At its simplest, it manifests as a lack of ideas. What do I write about? At its most pernicious, writer’s block can convince you that you lack what it takes to be a writer. We’re here to tell you: that’s simply not true.

Writer’s block is certainly a tough problem to solve. If we all knew how to get rid of writer’s block, the world would be overflowing with books, completed effortlessly and ahead of schedule.

Nonetheless, writer’s block doesn’t have to be chronic, or debilitating. In this article, we’ll look deeply into what causes writer’s block, and describe how to overcome writer’s block—in whatever way it might be manifesting in your writing. But first, what is writer’s block?

What is Writer’s Block?

What is writer’s block? It manifests in different ways in different writers. It might feel like you’re turning on a faucet, but the water has run out; it might feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall, jostling language, waiting for the words to arrive.

No matter how it manifests, all strains and variants of writer’s block share the same issue: a desire to write, and an inability to do so.

More specifically, it’s an inability to get into the flow of writing . The moment you set your pen tip to paper (or fingers to keyboard), your brain is plagued with questions, concerns, distractions. What do I write about? I don’t know how to write that. Where do I start? That wouldn’t make sense. Is this something I would write? I should really do the laundry first.

What causes writer’s block, and how do you staunch the flow of intrusive thoughts? Let’s dive deeper.

What Causes Writer’s Block

Every writer experiences different roadblocks on their writing journey. Some of those roadblocks are external: rejections from literary journals, disagreements with book publishers, a lack of time and resources, and the like.

However, far more of those roadblocks are internal: self-doubt, perfectionism, low motivation, etc. The internal roadblocks we face around our writing practice are what cause writer’s block.

Our internal roadblocks in our writing practice—self-doubt, perfectionism, low motivation—are what cause writer’s block.

In writer’s block, something internal dams the flow of creativity. Our internal worlds shape how we access our creativity , so getting rid of writer’s block means working through whatever psychological barriers are inhibiting us.

The secret to a successful writing habit is writing every day, without inhibition or prescriptive judgments. So, to overcome writer’s block, we need to work towards a productive writing mentality.

6 Manifestations of Writer’s Block

Below are six common types of writer’s block, broken down one by one. For each type, I give advice I’ve collected and experimented with over the years on how to cure writer’s block.

Here’s what to do when…

1. Writer’s block: You feel motivated but uncreative

Often, feeling boxed in mentally is the result of feeling boxed in physically. When we’re confined to the same familiar spaces, our brains fall into repetition, and we create habits of stasis rather than habits of imagination. You need something to kickstart that creative flow.

Sometimes, the solution is to simply daydream.

Sometimes, the solution is to simply daydream. What happens if you spend an hour staring at the ceiling or out the window—what worlds can you come up with when undisturbed from technology or other people?

Try putting yourself in new, unfamiliar spaces.

Other times, you might need to kick your brain in action by putting yourself in new, unfamiliar spaces. Maybe find a new space to write: a hidden park bench, the back of a library, your best friend’s balcony, anywhere.

2. Writer’s block: You feel creative but have no motivation

Sometimes the opposite is true: you can dream up new stories, worlds, and metaphors, but you can’t seem to put them on the page. Why won’t the words come out?

Create an environment and schedule conducive to writing.

This is where creating a writing habit becomes useful. We need to train our brains to write by creating an environment and schedule conducive to writing. If you can make yourself sit in the same space at the same time every day, you will encourage your creative motivation through sheer force of repetition.

Where do you feel most creative? It may be at your desk or in the kitchen; it may also be in the bathtub, on your roof, or squirreled away in the closet. Find where you’re most creative, and write there frequently.

3. Writer’s block: Self-doubt is getting in the way

For some people, overcoming writer’s block means overcoming the voice of self-doubt. Self-doubt is only natural: when we write, we’re creating new worlds and human beings. That’s a tall order, and it can be easy to doubt that you’re writing “the right way.”

Self-doubt is a natural response to writing, but it doesn’t have to inhibit your creative flow.

Self-doubt is a natural response to the writing process, but it doesn’t have to inhibit your creative flow. Otherwise, you end up justifying your own self-doubt, which prevents you from writing the next Pulitzer Prize-winning book.

This is one of the hardest writer’s blocks to work through, but you’re not alone in feeling it. Many successful authors have their fair share of self-doubt. John Steinbeck, for example, wrote that he was “assailed by [his] own ignorance and inability” while writing The Grapes of Wrath —that great American novel which did win a Pulitzer.

Often, self-doubters will assume their work will be meaningless before it even reaches the page. If you’re experiencing a bout of writer’s block and doubt your ability to create, try to hold back that judgment. Allow yourself to write, even if that writing doesn’t meet your standards: you can always edit later, and the act of creation is the most important thing a writer can commit to. Think of it this way: every word you write brings you a word closer to the Nobel prize.

4. Writer’s block: You’re out of ideas

You want to write, you’re feeling creative, and you have time to sit at your desk and produce something. There’s only one problem: what do you write about?

First, ask yourself this: are you struggling to come up with ideas at all, or are you dismissing every idea you come up with? If it’s the first one, then prompt generators are your best friend. Hit refresh as many times as you want, add or subtract certain requirements, and have fun in the sandbox of language. You won’t be out of ideas for long!

You might also find writing exercises, like the ones in this article on literary devices , useful for juicing your creativity.

If it’s the second problem, then you might need to take a step back and actually slow your thoughts down . You might be rushing through ideas too quickly, and rather than finding your groove and setting words on the page, your thoughts are spinning like tires in a ditch.

This is your reminder, then: slow down, chew through your thoughts slowly, and imagine yourself inside of your ideas. You might find something unique or surprising, and realize that everything you need as a writer is already inside of you.

5. Writer’s block: You’re too exhausted to write

Let’s face it: this world was not built for writers. Very few of us have the luxury of dedicating our entire lives to literature: we have jobs to work, bills to pay, kids to raise, and thousands of decisions to make. When we find time to sit at the writing desk, we don’t always have the energy to write.

Try to block out some time, even just 5 minutes, to journal or dream on the page before going to sleep.

Our personal and professional lives are often what causes writer’s block. If this is the case, but you really want to write, then take a step back and focus on your needs first. Try to block out some time, even just 5 minutes, to journal or dream on the page before going to sleep. Over time, this habit will start to produce the writing you want to create.

Overcoming writer’s block usually begins with habits, and habits can overcome even the fatigue of day-to-day life. Be gentle with yourself, but be diligent!

6. Writer’s block: You aren’t sure what causes writer’s block for you

If all writers knew the reason they couldn’t write, then they’d know how to cure writer’s block. Sadly, this isn’t the case. It might take a couple of weeks to diagnose yourself with writer’s block, and it might take a couple more weeks after that to figure out the block. This is something that, sooner or later, most writers grapple with.

If you’ve made it this far into the article and you’re not sure what’s causing your block, try the following. Grab an empty sheet of paper and write the words “I can’t write because…” and then finish the sentence. Jot down as many reasons as you want, including false reasons, made up scenarios, and creative fantasies. If you can’t write because you’ve been abducted by aliens, write it down—and, consider what that could be a metaphor for.

Then, write another sentence: “I want to write because…” and do the same thing. Write because you want to win an Edgar Award, or because you want to heal from something emotional, or because you want your book read in high school English classes.

Finally, write this: “I will write because…” and go from there. I will write because I can. I will write because I’m good at writing. I will write because I’m bad at writing. I will write because I want to, and that’s all the reasoning I need.

This is an exercise in self-dialogue, which helps us navigate our emotions through the sheer act of creation. Instead of overcoming a block in the flow of language, try diverting the river, see where it leads you.

How to Get Rid of Writer’s Block: Make Writing a Habit

Ultimately, working through writer’s block is about developing practices that make writing a habit—on good days, bad days, and everything in between. What this looks like is completely up to you and what will really work in your case. Start experimenting!

Overcoming Writer’s Block Starts with Experimentation

Experiment with where, when, and how you write.

Especially for newer writers, the best thing you can do is understand what writing habits are best for you. Experiment with where, when, and how you write to find a place and style of writing that consistently lets you get words onto the page.

Your next story or poem might be best written on a typewriter. It might also be best written while staring at your phone, tucked in bed at 1 in the morning. That’s not to promote unhealthy sleeping habits, only to suggest that “real writing” can happen in any space.

Maybe you’re too tired to write when you finish work at night. Try writing in the morning! Maybe your laptop keeps dragging you onto Twitter. Buy a notebook! Maybe writing feels boring and isolating. Try it in a coffee shop!

Another great way to get the words flowing is to join a writers group. Depending on where you live, you might find writing groups on sites like Meetup or Eventbrite. If all else fails, check your local library.

Clear away any preconceived notions of what “writing” looks like, and find what will make your writing process work for you. If you try to force yourself to write in one specific way, you might be stifling your creativity and preventing ideas from coming naturally.

Consistent Creative Motivation Comes from Creative Habits

Overcoming writer’s block means setting the words down, no matter how great, terrible, logical, or nonsensical they are. The most successful writers have learned how to get rid of writer’s block by experimenting with when, where, and how they write, found the processes that best suit their writing needs, and developed a rock-solid writing habit .

The most successful writers have found the writing processes that work best for them, and developed a rock-solid writing habit .

Stephen King writes 10 pages each day, even on weekends and holidays. Haruki Murakami runs a 5K to clear his mind. Allegedly, Agatha Christie liked to sit in the bathtub, eating apples and looking at crime scene photographs, especially when she was out of ideas. The lengths writers go to to write!

How to Stop Writer’s Block Before it Starts

Two practices are critical for both preventing and overcoming writer’s block: productive self-talk, and forming a writing habit.

Can writer’s block be prevented? Not entirely, but there are many things you can do to stave off a wave of blank pages. Each of the writer’s block exercises we’ll be recommending below involve at least one of the following two things:

• Productive self-talk, and
• Forming a writing habit.

These practices are critical. Even if you don’t have writer’s block, you should incorporate them both into your writing life.

Positive self-talk allows us to transcribe our emotional worlds onto the paper: if we believe in ourselves and trust in our feelings, then we can shut out the world and trust our fingers to create something beautiful.

And if we put ourselves in a certain place—both physically and mentally—we can “ Pavlov ” ourselves into being creative during certain parts of the day.

We have to coax our creativity out, in the same way you might coax a cat out from under the bed. Be patient, kind, and habitual; eventually, creativity will curl up in our laps.

Overcoming Writer’s Block: Join a Writing Community

Although writers are often solitary creatures, writing thrives best with community support . Involve some trusted writers into your creative habits: join our Facebook group or sign up for a creative writing class with our award-winning instructors. (We even have a course that’s all about juicing your creativity with daily writing prompts.) Let’s beat writer’s block together!

Sean Glatch

[…] and we must have all faced what is commonly known as Writer’s Block, namely times when we feel totally uninspired and utterly bereft of ideas. This is indeed a terrible feeling, the desperate state of intellectual thirst and hunger in which […]

[…] Here’s a pretty good article to check out. […]

“Imagine yourself inside of your ideas” I love this advice. Thanks for the links in #4– “prompt generator” and “literary devices.” I appreciate your motivation and techniques to CREATE A WRITING HABIT! —that’s my personal bugaboo. Great article to bookmark!

Keeping up with a writing habit is definitely my biggest challenge as well. Thanks, Julia!

The tortured writer depicted at the start of this article could be a doppelgänger for someone I know…

I feel so seen to know there’s a writer’s block from being too exhausted to write. That’s the story of my life. Thanks so much for the tips!

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Sep 20, 2021

How to overcome writer's block

Wondering how to overcome writer's block? Get tips to get over the blockage and see how AI can be a potential cure to get rid of it once and for all.

Samuli Pehkonen

Table of contents

Ever found yourself staring at a blank page or screen, trying to write but unable to find the right words? This is writer's block, and almost everyone struggles with it at some point in their lives.

The silver lining is that you're not alone. As the problem is so common, there are lots of knowledge on it available and proven ways to get over it. 

Figuring out how you overcome writer's block is a delicate process that is often highly subjective and depends on each individual. However, it's most often about conquering any self-doubt and knowing that you're able to push through with hard work.

So, what to do when you have writer's block? This blog post will go through what writer's block means, its various causes and symptoms, and share tips, strategies and cures to overcome the hurdle.

What is writer's block?

Writer's block is a condition in which a person is completely unable to produce text, the amount they can write decreases, or they feel that writing is much harder than it used to be. It's not solely measured by time passing without writing, but rather as time passing without productivity in the task at hand. By definition, this stall isn't considered due to commitment problems or lacking writing skills. Instead, it can be caused by various internal and external factors, which we'll cover in the next chapter. 

Writer's block is most typically associated with creative writing. Another word for it is blank page syndrome which perhaps more accurately describes a failure to put any kind of writing to the paper. However, these synonyms are used interchangeably.

Most people who have to complete written work as part of their job experience it at some point in their careers. It's perfectly natural for students, professional writers, and business executives to combat writer's block. It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, the world has been aware of it ever since 1947, and the growing reputation of psychiatry has made the term gain more recognition all the way today. If you are one of the people struggling to turn your ideas into text, know it's said that even some of the greatest writers of all time have had to push through writer's block.

Writer's block affects everyone differently. The common symptoms it might cause include anxiety or worry, depression, troubles at the workplace or school, muscle tension, headaches, and digestive troubles related to stress. Despite this creative stall not being a diagnosable mental health condition, it is as real as any challenge taking a toll on your mentality and should be taken seriously.

The good news is that this mental blockage is a well-documented problem, with much research done about its causes.

What causes writer's block?

Writer's block may have several causes, and it can come up in all different kinds of situations.

Some blocks originate within a person's work. You may run out of inspiration or be distracted by other tasks and events related to your work. In contrast, others may be caused by unfavorable circumstances in your personal life or career. Examples of such adversaries are physical or mental illness, relationship problems, financial pressures, or a sense of failure.

The high pressure to produce text in itself may contribute to writer's block, especially if you need to work in ways that are against your natural tendencies. Some of us express ourselves more naturally through speech than writing. For some, producing text has been challenging since learning to write.

Research  by Mike Rose states that writer's block can be caused by a person's history in writing, such as rules and restrictions from the past. You can feel hesitant about what you write based on how others perceive it in such a situation. Some other causes of writer's block have been due to  writer's anxiety . In his book,  Conceptual Blockbusting , James Adams notes that various reasons for blank screen syndrome. These include fear of taking a risk, "chaos" before the actual writing begins, and an inability to incubate ideas or judging them, as well as a lack of motivation. 

However, Rosanne Bane – a creativity coach and writing teacher for more than 20 years –  suggests  that getting stuck with writing is more than just a turn of mind. A human brain shifts control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system associated with instinctual processes, such as a "fight or flight" response under stress which hinders the creative process. The person is typically unaware of this change, leading them to believe they are creatively "blocked".

Also, physical damage can produce writer's block.  For example,  brain injuries can cause an extreme form of writer's block known as agraphia , which turns off the brain's process of translating thinking into writing. Other brain-related and neurological disorders such as epilepsy are known to cause the inability to produce text.

Next, let's leave the research aside and take an everyday approach to examine the causes of writer's block. The following reasons are often cited as the common causes for challenges with getting the ideas and thoughts from one's head to writing.

1. Having too few ideas

At times you can even feel like you'll never have another good idea again. This can cause you to go in circles, trying to figure out what to write and how to write it. 

2. Having too many ideas

Sometimes you have so many ideas in your head that you don't know where to begin. Anyone who has felt this way can probably testify that it easily leads to writing nothing. 

3. Having a hard time expressing yourself 

Even though you'd know what you want or need to write, sometimes it's simply hard to put your thoughts in writing.

4. Putting off dreadful writing 

It's not that uncommon to fear writing. Especially when the thing you need to write is important. The feeling is only escalated if your penmanship is subject to an assessment of others.

5. Having many competing responsibilities

There is so much to do and so little time. We all have limited resources both at work and in our free time that can cause challenges with prioritizing.

6. Being a perfectionist

It's often hard to shut up our inner editor to the extent that you get stuck in revision hell. When you start to second guess every word choice, it's hard never to finish.

7. Talking to yourself negatively 

Negative self-talk is a corrosive force we have to combat to be able to express ourselves. If you're not encouraging yourself, can positive reinforcement from others even help?

8. Comparing yourself to others

We are all different. So, comparing your writing to others is an enormous waste of your time and can keep you from achieving your own goals for no reason. 

9. Fearing rejection

It never feels good to be rejected, whether it's an important email for work or submission for a feature in a prestigious publication. However, not having our way is part of life, and it happens to everyone at times.

10. Having distractions

Studies have shown that it takes 20 minutes to return to our task with total concentration after being distracted. About the time to banish social media addiction?

If learning about the causes of writer's block made you feel uncomfortable, let me assure you the help is near. By the time you've read this entire blog post, you'll have everything you need to get past the blank page syndrome.

What to do when you have writer's block – 15 tips to overcome it

Wondering what to do when you have writer's block? Fear not. Studies have concluded that it is a treatable condition. You just need to find a cure that removes the mental barriers and builds your confidence up. Often a fix can be found by speaking to others, but there are also ways to deal with writer's block on your own. If you're having trouble figuring out where to start, consider these common tips for writer's block and try the strategies that feel the most natural to you. 

1. Take a break

Let's get the most self-evident tip out of the way. When you get stuck, forcing the words doesn't work; it's time to take a break. Taking time to recharge can be essential to finding your flow again, so step back and then go back and do it again.

2. Freewriting

This tip is quite literal. Go ahead and just write off the top of your head. Ignore punctuation, grammar, and all the usual restrictions and see what comes out of it. It can be a totally random yet revolutionary experience. 

3. Physical exercise

Physical activity and exercising keep your mind alert and energetic. It can rewire your brain into becoming more focused and help you to become more productive. Closing the laptop and getting out of the house is also a great way to break the routine. 

4. Writer's block apps

Technology obviously isn't the answer to everything. Still, there are  writer's block apps  worth trying that take different approaches to help you when you feel stuck.

5. Journaling

Journaling means writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. If you struggle with stress, depression, or anxiety, it can be a helpful method to make words flow again.

6. Brainstorming

Brainstorming encourages you to come up with thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem, while others can spark even more ideas. This helps you to get unstuck by breaking you out of your typical ways of thinking.

7. List making

Good old list making is a powerful thing. It's a straightforward and effective way to reduce overwhelm, get organized, and gain control of your inner life.

8. Questioning

Research on students shows that asking questions that uncover your writing process can fix blank page syndrome. Suppose you have someone available to help you; go for it.

9. Alter the time of the day you write

There's no simpler cure than this one. If you struggle with writing tasks in the morning, try to block time for them in the afternoon or vice versa. If your routine allows, you can see if early morning or nighttime would feed your creativity.

10. Set deadlines

Let's face it – deadlines are scary. Especially when you put yourself under pressure to do something even if you feel that you can't do it. That's why it's essential to be realistic when you put yourself on the clock when experiencing a blockage.

11. Lower your expectations

If self-consciousness is the cause for you to seize up and shut down, you need to realize that your worst enemy is staring you back from the mirror. There's no way to reach expectations if they are unrealistic – at least, without taking all the small steps needed to get there. 

12. Mindfulness meditation

Meditation is a mental training practice that helps you learn to slow down your thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm your mind and body. It's considered an effective way to get out of writer's block.  Tons of  meditation apps  offer an easy way to try if mindfulness is for you.

13. Break your work into pieces

A study  of 2,500 writers found that breaking one's writing task into pieces is highly effective rather than doing all of the writing in one sitting. The approach was shown to help produce good quality work.

14. Evaluate the environment you work in

It's important to evaluate the environment in which you write to determine if it is the best possible place to work.

15. Mindmapping 

Mindmapping involves writing a stream of consciousness on a paper and connecting any similar or linked thoughts. By freely associating thoughts around an idea, the writer can receive an unfiltered map of potential ideas. There are also  online mindmap tools  if you are not into the old-school way.

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• Writing Tips

Try These 15 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a familiar obstacle that seems to grow the more we focus on it. We know we must write, so we sit down at our desk, stare at our screens, and will ourselves to write something. Anything. Still, no words appear. The longer we sit there, frustrated that we’re not writing, the more likely it becomes that we will not write at all.

Even strong writers need strategies to cope with writer’s block and be productive. Here are 15 tips to overcome writer’s block and still create content you’d proudly show your colleagues. Not every tip will work for every writer, but something here will work probably for you.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

1. make writing a habit.

“Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits.” - Twyla Tharp

Some writers may think Tharp’s approach is counterintuitive because they believe creativity is innate and unpredictable. But waiting for inspiration can be a formula for a constant battle with writer’s block . Try approaching writing as a set part of your routine: schedule time to write and write at that time, even if you’re not inspired by your words. Whether your schedule includes writing daily or every weekend, it’s important to stick to it.

2. Talk to a Friend

The worst way to combat insomnia is to stay in bed and think about falling asleep. Fighting writer’s block is similar to fighting insomnia. Staring at a blank page or screen and hoping words appear won’t work. One way to break out of this mental paralysis is to talk to a friend–real or imaginary. As you talk, write down everything you say. Once on paper, that conversation may make a decent first draft.

3. Find Out When You’re Most Creative

To avoid or overcome writer’s block, think about what time of day you find it easiest to be creative. For many people, creative tasks are easiest in the morning when it’s quiet and emails aren’t piling up. Others prefer writing late at night. Plan to write when you’re naturally most creative, whether it’s at 6 AM or 10 PM.

4. Stay Away From Distractions

Distractions can reduce your focus, interrupt your flow, or keep you from starting a project. Minimize distractions when you write. Try unplugging from digital distractions by turning off your smartphone and internet while you write. Remove distractions from your work area by cleaning your desk; a clean desk can improve calm and focus. Use time-blocking to schedule time for writing. Ask co-workers and family members to respect that time the way they’d respect your unavailability in a meeting or a webinar. Schedule chunks of at least three uninterrupted hours for writing.

5. Work on Another Section

You don’t have to write a piece in the order it will be read. For example, people often struggle with writing introductions. If you’re having a hard time writing a given section, work on another part and come back later. Writing some part of the piece will be more successful overall than staying with an idea that’s not yet ready. Writing out of order might even help you write the perfect introduction at the end, because you’ll have a better idea of how you’ve organized your piece.

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6. Move to Another Space

After a while, staying in one physical place can make you feel stuck. Sometimes, a change of scenery can help you continue writing. Moving outside, to a café, or even just to another spot in your office—from chair to couch—might be all you need to break through.

7. Read, Read, Read

Reading can provide inspiration, motivation, catharsis, or escape, all of which make reading an excellent cure for writer’s block. Reading something you enjoy can help you forget about insecurities or troubles that may have been holding you back earlier. You can count on reading to help you get out of your writing funk, no matter what you choose. Many writers turn to the authors they admire for inspiration, to get their creative juices flowing, and to beat writer’s block. Don’t worry: if you start reading, we won’t accuse of you procrastinating.

8. Do Something Other Than Writing

If you feel like you’re stuck, a non-writing activity may prove helpful. If you stop directly and intensely looking at words, you might find the story you want to tell while doing another task. Pick an activity that lets you step away from the written word: watching movies, solving a puzzle, enjoying a meal, or looking at artwork. You can also turn to your hobbies, which help your brain concentrate, work, and finish tasks.

9. Do Household Chores

Your non-writing activity may involve cleaning. Part of the frustration of writer’s block is that you feel unproductive while stuck. The longer you look at your screen trying to force yourself to be productive, the less work you get done. To clear your mind and benefit from a different type of productivity, do household chores. Try washing the dishes, vacuuming, folding laundry, or other household tasks so you can relax and think of new ideas. The clean house might also give you the feeling of a fresh start.

10. Try Freewriting

Freewriting is writing without stopping for a specific amount of time (usually 10 to 20 minutes). Don’t interrupt the process by editing or checking spelling or grammar. Let it flow. The goal is to produce words without judging them (or yourself) while you write. It’s fine if your free-written piece isn’t part of your actual work or ready for public consumption. Freewriting can help you organize ideas or get something stressful off your mind. Find a place where you can focus, gather your writing tools, and get started. Set your time limit. If you’re new to freewriting, start with a 10-minute limit. Once you get the hang of freewriting, try increasing your time limit. Don’t rush to go over 10 minutes, though—enjoy the process.

11. Use a Different Writing Tool

When your writing feels stagnant or you feel stuck, try changing your professional writing tools. If you usually type, try switching to pen and paper or typing in a different font. If you usually write by hand, try typing instead. If traditional methods don’t work, try a specialized writing app that hides your text or has a countdown timer that forces you to write without stopping. Switching up your professional writing tools can be as effective as changing locations to help you overcome writer’s block.

12. Move Your Body

If you’re feeling sleepy and disconnected or disinterested in your work, try kick-starting your energy with aerobic exercise. It can be running, walking, or dancing: anything that makes you feel happy and gets your heart rate up. Even 10 minutes can help you feel better and write better. Exercise helps your body and mind work their best. It releases endorphins, the hormones that boost your mood. If you feel more productive and energetic, you’ll probably beat writer’s block.

13. Clear Your Mind

A foggy mind can stop you from getting your best ideas out. If you’re having trouble writing because of brain clutter, try doing something calming and introspective. Meditation, yoga, prayer, silent reflection, and other meditative practices will help you focus on the present moment and can improve your ability to concentrate in the long term.

14. Face the Fear

If you think you’ll fail at a task, you might hesitate to start. Writer’s block can stem from a fear that your writing isn’t good enough. The fear is valid: you will have errors in your first draft, but that’s why we edit. A rough first draft will give you something to perfect. Writing that draft more quickly will ensure you have time to edit it thoroughly.

15. Fail — It’s Part of the Creative Process

All writers fail at some point when they write. It’s part of the creative process. Remember that when you’re trying to beat writer’s block, your goal isn’t to write the perfect article, report, or brief. Your goal is to finish a first draft. Editor’s block is much easier to overcome than writer’s block, especially when you have WordRake to jumpstart the editing process.

To learn how WordRake founder and New York Times bestselling author Gary Kinder deals with writer’s block, you can read his post “Curse of the Blinking Cursor” here .

About the Author

Caroline Engle is WordRake’s Marketing Communications Specialist. She convinced WordRake to hire her as an intern after placing in editing competitions and writing a novel in a month. When she isn’t editing or writing copy, coordinating conference logistics, or helping improve WordRake’s functionality, she’s reading, going on ten-mile walks, or looking up flight prices. Connect with her on LinkedIn  here .

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What Is Writer’s Block? with 15+ Ways to Beat It for Good

by Fija Callaghan

Writer’s block is the fierce dragon of the literary world. It’s the monster under the bed. It’s the malignant force that turns a blank page from sympathetic co-conspirator to vicious, subversive enemy. Writer’s block is every writer’s worst nightmare.

If you’re faced with a bout of writer’s block, we’ve got good news for you:

1.) You’re not alone. All writers experience writer’s block at various stages in their writerly practice.

2.) You can annihilate the beast one and for all, and we’re going to show you how.

What is writer’s block?

Writer’s block is when a writer finds themselves unable to move forward in their writing process. They might not be able to come up with any new ideas, or they might have ideas but can’t get them out onto the page. Writer’s block can vary in severity, lasting from hours to years.

What’s worse is that writer’s block is something that tends to feed on itself. Overcoming writer’s block that’s only been present a couple of days is fairly easy, but if left unaddressed, it becomes harder and harder to manage over time.

That may sound scary, but don’t worry! We’ll show you some foolproof tricks to beat writer’s block before it spirals out of hand.

What causes writer’s block?

Many famous writers struggle with this obstacle. Here are the primary causes of writer’s block that many writers will face at some point during their careers.

Creative stagnation

Writer’s block seeps into the empty space left behind when creativity stops. The longer you go without engaging in writing or other creative tasks, the more you build a hospitable environment for writer’s block to thrive and grow. And the more you allow writer’s block to overtake your internal creative space, the harder it is to get rid of.

(The creepy tar thing in FernGully may have been a metaphor for environmental pollution, but it definitely could have been a metaphor for writer’s block.)

Too many distractions

We get it—you’ve got lives. Jobs, education, tiny humans that need constant maintenance, the new season of your favourite Netflix binge, Instagram… the problem is that there’s always a reason not to write, and, as we saw above, allowing your writing to slip is what invites writer’s block into your life.

Internalized fear

Creativity is the foundation of our world, but can also be… kind of terrifying? Many writers have a fear of beginning to write because they lack confidence and feel what they put down won’t live up to the idea they have in their head. Or they might think they’ll never compare with the authors they love. There’s this sense that by putting words down on the page that somehow fall short of your expectations, you’ll be forced to look your failings right in the face.

Perfectionism

Some writers are so demanding of themselves that they don’t want any sub-par scribbles marring the perfect canvas of their work. This means they never trust themselves enough to even begin their first draft. They may also be afraid of writing something imperfect and revealing their own limitations.

The writer’s block fallacy

Dumbledore was on to something when he said, “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

Finding yourself in a writing funk is the literal worst. However, be very mindful of assigning writer’s block too much of its own agency. By giving writer’s block a name, we allow it to become an external enemy over which we have no control, like a seasonal flu: I’m going through a rough case of Writer’s Block right now. Oh man, I had that last spring, it’s the worst. Yeah, the doc says I should just wait it out, get lots of rest. Ah well, we’ve all had it, give it time —

By treating writer’s block as something other , we disassociate and give ourselves permission to reject responsibility for our art. The first step to really conquering writer’s block is to take ownership of it as a piece of you—which means that you’re in charge.

Remember: writer’s block is an unconscious choice . Overcoming writer’s block is a conscious choice .

Ways to overcome writer’s block

Easier said than done, we know. Don’t despair! When you’re feeling stuck in a creative slowdown, try one (or several!) of these ways to overcome writer’s block and get your creative juices flowing.

1. Determine what’s really happening

If you’re suffering from writer’s block, chances are something is holding you back. See if you can identify what it is and address it. Are you petrified by existential self-doubt? Do you feel pressured to compare with other writers? Have you lost interest in the project you’re working on? Or maybe you’ve gone so long without writing that you find the act of starting up again intimidating? If you can pin down the root cause of your writer’s block, you’ll be able to determine the best way to overcome it.

2. Get words down on paper

Creativity is a bit like a faucet—you need to run it often for it to function at its best. If you go a long time without turning the faucet on, you might get some water with rust and debris and bits of bird poo coming out before you get to the fresh, clear stuff. But if your creativity faucet is backed up, the only way to clear it out is by flushing out the murky water.

In writing terms, this means getting something down on paper to “flush out” the blocked passages. At this stage, you don’t have to worry about it being any good.

Once again, because I cannot stress this enough: it doesn’t have to be any good . It just needs to exist so you can access the quality juice behind it. If you can manage to start writing, you’ll find your creativity begins to flow a lot more smoothly.

3. Use writing prompts

If you’re stuck for ideas, try out a writing prompt! The internet is full of prompts designed to trigger inspiration, from the silly to the thought-provoking. Writing prompts might include something like the first line to kick off a story, a situation to drop two characters in, or a “what if” question around which to build a plot. Writing prompts are a surefire way to get your words moving and overcome writer’s block.

4. Put it in a letter

In the interest of getting words on paper and uncovering the root cause of your slump, try writing about your writers block! You can pen a letter to your best friend, a family member, your crush, or your pet. You don’t have to send this letter (though you can if you want to), but having an imaginary someone on the other side can give you a focal point and help you unpack your thoughts. Try telling them what your story’s about, what you feel when you look at the page, and what you’d like to accomplish.

5. Set manageable goals

Try setting small, obtainable writing goals for yourself. Some writers aim for a thousand words before they finish for the day, but if that seems monumental, you can start with a few lines, or even one sentence. If looking at a blank page fills you with terror, try telling yourself, “I’ll just write one sentence of my novel, and then I’ll take a little break.” If you get that sentence down, great! See if you can write a second one. If not, come back to it later. Start with tiny victories and work your way up to larger ones.

6. Try a reward system

Some writers respond well to positive reinforcement, so try rewarding yourself every time you reach your daily goal. Maybe you think, “If I manage to write five hundred words today, I’ll buy myself an ice cream cone.” This gives you a tangible objective to work towards.

Just make sure your reward is something you only get when you meet your writing goals, and not something you have all the time. It should be a small luxury that makes your writing sessions feel productive and enriching.

7. Create a writing routine

Professional writers often build a regular routine around their creative process. For instance, you might promise yourself to work from 7:30am to 8:30am each morning before you go to your job, or from 8pm to 9pm each evening. Or, you might devote one of your days off to writing practice and work in one-hour busts with half-hour breaks in between. Everyone is different, so find the rhythm and writing schedule that works best for you.

Another way to create a sense of routine and overcome writer’s block is to always write in the same place with the same accoutrements. This will send your brain a signal that it’s time to write. This might be a certain coffee cup that you use while you’re writing, a particular album that you listen to, or a special “writer sweater” to keep you cosy.

8. Try out the Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is one type of scheduling that works well for a lot of people, and it might work for you. This involves setting a timer, such as a kitchen timer or the one on your phone (the name comes from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer used by the guy who invented it), for twenty-five minutes at a time. This is proven to be the time span in which we’re most productive.

After twenty-five minutes, take a five minute break to grab a snack or stretch your legs. After four twenty-five minute sessions (sometimes called “pomodoros”), take a longer break of about half an hour. This process is a proven method to maximise your productivity without burning yourself out.

9. Approach your story from a different angle

If you’re in the middle of a story and aren’t sure where to go next, try looking at it in another way. Try writing a scene from a different character’s perspective, or setting a conversation in a different location. Or, you could write a story from the past of one of your supporting characters and learn who they were before they became a part of your plot.

These scenes may not end up in your finished project (although they might, if you discover something about them you want to include), but exploring new facets of your story world may reveal surprising nuances and help you overcome writer’s block.

10. Start in the middle—or the end

You may feel stuck because, while you have some great ideas for your story’s conflict and astonishing twist ending, you aren’t quite sure how to begin. But here’s a deep, universal truth: anyone who says you must begin your story on page one is lying to you.

If you can see your hero’s final battle in your mind, go ahead and write that scene. Or the moment where they meet-cute their love interest for the first time. Or the scene where they finally overcome their flaws and become a better person. During your first draft, you don’t need to worry about getting everything in the right order (that’s what revision is for!)—just worry about getting it all down on the page. You may find you develop a better idea of where to begin as you go.

11. Use placeholders

You might find that a particular scene is giving you a lot of trouble because it’s too challenging, sensitive, or unclear. In this case, you can simply make a note and move on to the rest of your story. For example, you could pause in your narrative to say [THE BEST FRIENDS HAVE A BIG FIGHT], and then continue writing the next scene. You can always come back to it later with fresh eyes. The important thing is to keep moving.

12. Change your medium

Sometimes, simply changing the writing tool of your work can feel like a fresh start. If you usually write on paper, try switching to a computer screen for a while—or vice versa. If you’re writing on a computer, you can also try changing up the size and font of your text. Some writers swear by composing in Comic Sans to maximize their productivity. A small change can signal a psychological shift that kickstarts that initial spark.

13.Change tracks

If you’re stuck on your current project, try channeling your creative energy into something else. For example, you might take a break from your novel to try writing a piece of low-stress flash fiction or a poem. Or, you may wind down with another creative activity, like drawing or painting. This way you’re still keeping your creativity engaged while taking a step back from experiencing writer’s block.

14. Build a welcoming workspace

It’s tough to write well in a space that’s overflowing with dirty clothes and last week’s takeout. Even if you’re not normally a clean freak, try to prioritise the space you do your writing in and make it as welcoming and creatively conducive as possible. Keep it hygienic, and think about little personal touches that might make it feel like an artistic safe place. Some writers love having fresh flowers around while they work, while others like having warm candlelight nearby (don’t strain your eyes though! And keep that open flame away from your notes). Creating a place where creativity can flourish might be what you need to combat writer’s block.

15. Move to a new environment

Sometimes, though, moving around can be the trick to unstoppering your creative block. If it’s a nice day, try going outside and writing out in the natural world. Or, you might go to a cosy library or café to get the right words flowing. Even if you’re stuck indoors, just moving from one room to another can feel like a fresh start.

If all else fails, curl up with a good book for a while. Most writers are also readers, and dissecting how a well-crafted story is put together is one of the best skills a writer can have. Look at the way other authors have written their sentences and scenes, and see if you find some inspiration after a chapter or two.

17. Take a step back

You can also take a break from your writing session by getting some fresh air or taking time to talk with a non-writer friend. You might find that your best ideas come when you’ve taken the pressure off and are remembering what the outside world looks like.

Overcoming writer’s block is the next step in bringing your story to life

Almost every writer suffers from writer’s block at some point, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence for your beautiful work. With these foolproof tricks, you can obliterate writer’s block once and for all!

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Nathaniel Tower

Juggling writing and life

How to Get Over Writer’s Block – 17 Proven Tips

Last Updated on February 18, 2024 by Nathaniel Tower

Whether you’re a brand new writer or a seasoned veteran with a handful of bestsellers to your name, there’s one thing that’s inevitable: writer’s block.

Every writer struggles with writer’s block. Even great writers deal with this dreaded condition. Whether you’re writing for work or pleasure, writer’s block can set in at nearly any time and wreck your productivity. When it happens, it can make even the best writers feel completely helpless. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways you can overcome writer’s block.

What is writer’s block?

Before we dive into the ways to beat writer’s block, let’s clearly define what writer’s block is.

Simply put, writer’s block is the inability to write productively .

Here are two primary symptoms of writer’s block:

• You can’t come up with anything to write. You just sit in front of a blank page and can’t physically writer anything.
• You can write words, but they aren’t satisfactory or don’t fit together cohesively to form the piece you want to write.

In other words, writer’s block prevents you from getting the task of writing done. It doesn’t mean you aren’t trying, nor does it mean you’ve lost your skills as a writer. It means your ability to write is being hindered by some internal or external force. Whether this is a mental obstacle or physical barrier will depend on your exact circumstances. Either way, writer’s block affects every writer and can have a dramatic impact on your production.

Writer’s block can be especially frustrating for writers who have limited time on their hands. If you have a full-time job along with parenting duties, writer’s block can be a crippling experience that makes you question whether you even want to write at all. Just imagine: after a long day of work and parenting, you finally sit down to write only to have nothing come out.

What causes writer’s block?

Writer’s block can occur for many different reasons, and it can vary from day to day. You might have the best writing session of your life on Sunday and then come back on Monday with a dozen things that prevent you from writing.

Here are a few of the most common reasons writers experience the inability to write:

• Mental fatigue – Your brain is too exhausted to get the right words out.
• Tiredness/sleepiness – Your body is too physically tired to write.
• Lack of motivation – You don’t really want to write.
• Lack of a good idea – You have nothing to write about (or what you’re trying to write about isn’t very good).
• Distraction – Your mind and/or body is constantly wandering to other things.
• Doubt – You don’t think you can be a writer.
• Self-criticism – You don’t think what you’re writing is good enough.
• Sense of failure – You feel like you haven’t succeeded as a writer up to this point, so you don’t think it’s worth trying.
• Lack of routine or organization – Your writing habits are too messy and prevent you from writing.

None of these things mean you aren’t a good writer . They are temporary obstacles that you can overcome with the right routine and positive thinking.

Before you can determine the best writer’s block tip, you need to understand the cause of your writer’s block.

Is writer’s block a myth?

Some writers swear that writer’s block isn’t a real thing. They call it an excuse. While there are some writers who never seem to experience this phenomenon, it’s certainly not a myth. The inability to perform has been well-documented in many different walks of life, including writing. Saying it’s just a myth won’t help you overcome it. Understanding the root cause of your writer’s block and trying proven methods for beating it will get you writing again.

17 easy tips to overcome writer’s block

A lot of lists of writer’s block tips consist of a bunch of things you should write instead of whatever you are trying to write. However, when you are experiencing writer’s block, you sometimes can’t write at all. The tips below primarily focus on things to do outside of writing that will help you get back in the writing mood.

When writer’s block sets in, don’t sit there for hours trying to force yourself to beat it. Instead try one or more of these tips from expert writers to beat it.

1. Reread the best thing you’ve written

Looking at something great you’ve created can inspire you and remind you that you can do this. If you’ve been published in print, grab a copy of that book or magazine and read your own work out loud to yourself. Take joy in your own great writing. You are a writer, and you will beat this!

2. Read a chapter from your favorite book

The words of others often inspire us to write. Pick up your favorite book and devour those amazing words. As you read, think about what the author did to make you love this writing so much. Put yourself in that author’s mind and try to imagine what writing this book must have been like. Make sure to limit yourself to a single chapter so your writing session doesn’t turn into a reading session.

3. Listen to a favorite song

It doesn’t matter if it’s classical, The Beatles, heavy metal, or a guilty-pleasure pop song. Listening to one of your favorite songs will put you in a happy place that makes you forget about the fact that you can’t write. And when you’re in a better mood, you can often be more productive with your writing. Try one of the best albums to listen to while you write .

4. Have a snack

If you’re too hungry or thirsty, it might be your stomach that’s keeping you from writing. Get yourself a nice little snack. Don’t stuff yourself full or chug a bunch of booze, but give yourself enough to keep those hunger pangs away. While some writers swear they write better when drunk, you shouldn’t try to incorporate a lot of alcohol into your routine to beat writer’s block. It might leave you with a headache or render you unable to write at all.

5. Go for a walk or a run

Inspiration often comes when you’re exercising, especially if you’re doing it outdoors. As you get a little sweaty, take the time to get lost in the world around you and let that be your inspiration to write. Just be careful not to run too fast or you might forget to think or wear yourself out and leave yourself too tired to write later.

6. Phone a friend

Having a conversation with a friend, especially another writer, can inspire you to write something. It’s okay to talk about your writer’s block, but that doesn’t have to be the center of your conversation. Chances are, your friend has had writer’s block before, so you might be able to get some additional advice. But this is also a time to connect and focus on things other than not being able to write.

7. Turn off your phone

The famous writers of yesteryear had it easy. They didn’t have an endless string of distractions at their fingertips. A smartphone is an absolute curse for writer’s block. You’re better off not even having your phone around when you’re writing.

8. Meditate

Sometimes we can’t write because our minds are too busy or because our minds and bodies are exhausted. Meditating can help this all melt away. Put yourself in a quiet space with no distractions, close your eyes, and just focus on your breathing. Don’t try to think about anything. This isn’t the time for you to create writing ideas. Just relax.

9. Eliminate temptation by locking down your computer

Temptation exists everywhere. You’ve already turned off your phone, but your computer gives you millions of options other than writing. Fortunately, there are lots of tools available to help you eliminate these distractions without switching to a typewriter. A few of the best tools are:

• FocusWriter

Or you could always just try using pen and paper instead of your computer. I often beat writer’s block simply by switching to a trusty old notebook.

10. Offer yourself a reward

It’s okay to motivate yourself to write with a tangible reward. Use something you’ve wanted to buy for a while as your motivation. If you can get through this writing session successfully, then you can purchase something from your Amazon wishlist. But don’t use this trick too often or you might go broke!

11. Take a break

One trick for when you can’t sleep is to get out of bed for a bit. Try this same approach when you have writer’s block. Instead of sitting at your writing station, get up and do something else for 15 minutes. Fold laundry. Do jumping jacks. Organize your sock drawer. Whatever you do during the break, keep it relatively mundane. If it’s boring enough, you won’t be able to contain your writing excitement when you get back to it. And when time is up, make sure you get back to your writing environment with no excuses.

Most writers feel like they have to write every day , but sometimes it helps to take a day or two off instead. Don’t just sit there staring at a blank page or screen. If nothing is coming to you, don’t try to force it.

12. Do a brain exercise

Sometimes your writer’s block comes from lack of mental stimulation. You need to flip the brain on to get writing. By doing a quick brain exercise such as a brain teaser, a puzzle, etc., you can motivate your brain to come up with the power to write.

13. Stop trying to be perfect

This is especially applicable if you are in the drafting phase, but it can work for any writing session. A lot of our writer’s block comes from only wanting to write the perfect words and not wanting to make any mistakes. Accept that you won’t be perfect every time you write and just get your thoughts out on the page. Remember, you can always edit them later.

14. Think positive

Since doubt and self-criticism are two major causes of writer’s block, it’s important to remind yourself that you can do this. Instead of focusing on how you can’t write at the moment, think of all the good things you’ve accomplished. You don’t have to focus solely on writing. Just take a few minutes and only let positive thoughts enter your mind. Then turn back to your computer and start to write.

15. Write something else instead

As I mentioned at the top of this list, most of these tips encourage you to do something besides write. Those tips are especially helpful when you find yourself completely unable to write. In some cases, writing something else will work wonders. When the words aren’t flowing on the manuscript or document you’re trying to write, then shift gears and write something else.

It often helps to write something that doesn’t require as much energy to get you started. For example, if you can’t get anything out for your novel, just write a paragraph about your day. Or even just write a list. This is a great trick to use when you really want to write but can’t will yourself to write the task at hand. Sometimes the simplest way to overcome writer’s block is simply by writing!

Here are some things you can try writing instead when writer’s block hits:

• A paragraph about your day
• An outline for your next story or piece
• A list of your favorite things to write about
• A list of your goals as a writer
• A goofy story that’s fun to write but doesn’t take much thought
• A simple writing exercise
• Pretty much anything else that’s easy to write and can build your confidence while taking your mind off your temporary failures
• If you prefer a more challenging writing exercise to break out of your writer’s block, try one of these great short story ideas

While not every trick is guaranteed to work every time, these tips are proven to get writers of all levels back in the flow of a great writing session.

16. Set deadlines

Setting a deadline can be an effective way to beat writer’s block because it forces you to sit down and write. When using deadlines to beat writer’s block, make sure your deadline is real, and find a way to enforce it. What happens if you don’t meet the deadline. There needs to be a real consequence.

Mark the deadline on your calendar and make sure that deadline is clearly visible whether you’re writing or not.

17. Get some help from artificial intelligence

I’m not a big proponent of using AI writing tools to do your writing for you, but they can help you generate some ideas. If you’re completely stuck and just can’t figure out a way to move forward with your writing, give an AI tool like ChatGPT a shot. Just make sure you use it as a tool and don’t let it do your writing for you.

Bonus tips to beat writer’s block

If the 17 steps above don’t help you beat writer’s block, then here are a couple more ideas that could work:

Try a writing prompt – there are hundreds of great writing prompts or short story ideas that can help stimulate your brain into writing something great.

Test an AI-writing tool – AI, or artificial intelligence, writing is on the rise. While I’m not a big fan of AI-writing tools for a variety of reasons, they can help you overcome writer’s block by giving you some good ideas. Seeing what an AI writer produces can also make you more confident in your own writing!

Things that make writer’s block worse

If you are experiencing writer’s block, avoid the following things that might make it worse:

• Staring at a blank document on your computer screen
• Forcing yourself to keep working on the same thing
• Scrolling through Facebook or Instagram
• Doing anything on your phone
• Watching TV
• Doubting yourself
• Thinking negative thoughts about your writing
• Ignoring the root causes of your writer’s block
• Telling yourself that writer’s block isn’t real
• Waiting for inspiration to hit

None of these things are likely to get you into the mood to write, and several of them can be destructive to your writing habits. Always think positive and be proactive about getting back your motivation. It isn’t going to come to you if you just sit there.

Final thoughts on beating writer’s block

Remember, different things work for different writers. When you experience writer’s block, you should try different approaches to see what works best for you. What works one day might not be effective the next day, so don’t get stuck on one method.

The best approach for beating writer’s block is to start using one of these tips as soon as you feel writer’s block set in. The sooner you beat it, the more productive your writing session will be.

What are your tips for beating writer’s block? Share your secrets in the comments. And don’t forget to share this post on all your favorite channels.

How to Get Over Writer’s Block FAQs

How do you get over writer's block.

Getting over writer’s block can be as simple as walking away from your writing space for a bit or trying to write anything else, even if it’s not perfect or not what you wanted to write. There are lots of different tips and tricks you can try to get over writer’s block. The important thing is to find out what works for you and stick with it.

What causes writer's block?

Writer’s block can be caused by a lot of different things. You might be too tired or too distracted. You might be having a bad day. You might be trying to write something that isn’t good enough or doesn’t motivate you. Or you might just be doubting your abilities. When you are experiencing writer’s block, it’s important to figure out why and then find a method that will help you beat it.

How long does writer's block last?

Writer’s block can last as long as you allow it to last. It could be hours, days, or even weeks. Writer’s block will never be permanent unless you let it be. The sooner you address the core issue, the sooner you’ll be able to find a method that works to get you writing again.

Is writer's block a real thing?

Yes, writer’s block is a real thing that affects nearly every writer at some point in their career. Although some people claim writer’s block is a myth, it’s an actual physical or mental barrier that prevents you from being able to write in a given moment. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to overcome writer’s block.

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How to overcome writer's block

If you're feeling stuck, it's likely due to one of these five reasons.

Creating content consistently is the fastest way to achieve your creator goals.

But what happens when your flow of creativity stops, when it becomes near impossible to write, and you wind up sitting in front of a blank page feeling stuck?

Writer’s block can be an intimidating hurdle. However, once you understand its causes and cures , you’ll be able to overcome it whenever it rears its unpleasant head.

What is writer’s block?

Writer’s block is the state when a person cannot produce meaningful writing due to a lack of ideas, motivation, or clarity.

Even though this condition is primarily associated with the writing discipline, it’s part of a broader category of creative blocks that can apply to any “artistic, literary, scientific, or professional projects.”

Where does writer’s block come from?

Usually, writer’s block comes as the result of an emotional or practical roadblock.

When that momentum is interrupted, that’s when obstacles like writer’s block can creep their way in.

Common causes include the fear of producing bad work, comparison against more accomplished writers, and a lack of interesting ideas to pursue.

The latter part of this article will help you overcome five of the biggest blocks writers experience:

• Not knowing where to start
• Not knowing what to write
• Not having enough time
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling unmotivated

How long does writer’s block last?

Unlike the flu, which moves out of your system in a week or two, writer’s block doesn’t have any set lifespan.

It could last a day or a decade, depending on what caused it and how actively you work to beat it. Action is the cure, as Mark Manson writes,

The thing about motivation is that it’s not only a three-part chain, but an endless loop: inspiration -> motivation -> action -> inspiration -> motivation -> action -> etc.

The more proactive you are towards your creative block, the sooner you’ll be free of it.

Is writer’s block real?

Finally, if you’re searching for help with writer’s block, you’re bound to come across material that says it’s not real, it’s a made-up condition, and real writers never face it.

Well, that’s just not true.

Creative disciplines work differently than other professions. Trying to guilt yourself into not being blocked won’t work.

If your favorite writers seem as if their creativity is always unlocked, that's because they've built systems that make it possible. The same systems you're going to learn how to build too.

How to overcome writer’s block

Each cause requires its own strategy to fix it. Here are a few ideas to help you get unstuck.

#1 When you don’t know where to start: Write something else

Not knowing where to start can feel paralyzing. It’s a challenge both new and experienced writers face.

The trick is to work out of order.

There are no rules saying you have to write an article, book, or any project from beginning to end. You're allowed to jump around. You're even allowed to work on multiple projects at once, weaving in and out of them as your creativity leads you.

Writing “something else” can take on a number of different forms, such as:

• Freewriting. The exercise of writing your stream of consciousness (i.e., whatever comes to mind) without stopping for a set period of time.
• Begin at the end. Write the last paragraph or chapter of your project instead of the first. This can help rekindle your creativity since now you know where you need to end up.
• Reaction or journal writing. Find a topic that gets you stirred up, whether it’s a news story, a memory, or anything else and simply react to it through writing. This can help you break through stuck periods.
• Change the point-of-view. Instead of writing in your normal way, how would you write this project for a child or for your best friend. Altering the audience can help you find a better way forward.
• Speech text. Maybe the medium of writing is what’s got you stuck. Try stepping back from your keyboard and dictating your words instead.

As mentioned above, creativity is about momentum. If you can get any words onto a page, you’ll find that getting the right words will soon follow.

#2 When you don’t know what to write: Get better input

Creativity is a lot like cooking: you need good ingredients to create a great dish.

For example, trying to write an article on a topic you know nothing about and haven’t spent any time researching is like trying to bake bread with zero ingredients.

If you want a steady stream of good output, then you need a consistent habit of good input.  When your writer’s block is related to this challenge, here are a few solid options to try:

• Read more. Every prolific writer is also an insatiable reader. Reading well-written words, whether they're related to your topic or not, will help you produce content on schedule.
• Visit an art museum or concert. Consuming other types of creative work, such as paintings, music, or theatre, can help refill your creative reservoir.
• Talk through your blocks. Having conversations with other writers or subject-matter experts is incredibly valuable. Often, a single meeting can unlock weeks of being stuck.
• Become an idea machine . Not all input needs to come from outside of you. Brainstorm a list of ideas and mix and match them in as many combinations as possible. Practice this every day and you’ll never run short on creativity.

Every writer must find a balance between how much they consume versus create. Once you do, you'll find that blocks seem to almost disappear.

#3 When you don’t have enough time: Schedule to your advantage

So much of what it takes to become a successful writer is learning to make your own rules.

There are no hard and fast guidelines on how many words you must hit a day, or how often you need to crank out content, or what time of the day is best for creativity.

You get to make the rules. You get to define what is right for you. Taking back the power is a surefire way to eliminate the practical limitations contributing to your writer's block.

• Morning person versus night owl. Figure out when you work best and ignore all other productivity advice. Some people do their best work at 2 am, while others prefer to type away during sunrise. There is no right or wrong answer, only what's best for you.
• Write after you’re charged up. Some activities get our creative muscles firing away, such as meeting with a friend or hitting the gym. Schedule your writing time directly after these events so that you can harness the energy to your advantage.
• Quit blockers. Just like there are activities (or relationships) that make it easier to write, there are some that make it many times harder. Do your best to remove these from your life or put as much distance between them and your writing time as possible. Common blockers include negative people, stressful chores, and anything that incites comparison.
• Write less. Most people don't need, nor can they fit, a 4-hour uninterrupted writing block every day. Lower the bar so that it's less intimidating and easier to accommodate. Maybe you can only commit to one 20-minute Pomodoro interval. Start there!

Small, consistent wins are better than big, infrequent ones. Find what works best for you and build a system that feeds your momentum.

#4 When you feel overwhelmed: Get organized

The feeling of overwhelm can stem from several places:

• Feeling like there’s too much to do
• Not knowing what step to take next
• Looking at others' success and feeling like you could never get there.

This type of writer's block is effective because it's vague. It thrives in disorder. And even though it might be hard to see a way forward when you're in the midst of it, adding a bit of order (i.e., organization) can quickly push away the cloud of despair.

Here are a few organizational tricks that will get you back on track:

• Clean your area. Whether you write in an office, at the kitchen table, or on your bed, organizing your physical area can make your mental state feel more ordered too.
• Systematize your notes. Many famous authors rely on composition notebooks, notecard systems, and commonplace books to categorize their notes for easy access. If you find yourself struggling to sort through your sources, this will help.
• Create detailed outlines. Sometimes the best way to prepare for writing is to write about what you plan to write. A detailed outline, one that includes a sentence or two for every single point you plan to make, in order, can make your future sessions a breeze.
• Find public accountability. If you’re having trouble keeping writing commitments, find a way to make your practice public. Join a writing group or online community, hire a mentor, or commit to posting regular updates to your social channels. The right kind of outside pressure can help you prioritize your way through a block.

It’s worth noting that different projects will often require different types of organization. Don’t feel defeated if what’s worked in the past isn’t working now. Keep trying and iterate your way into a new solution.

#5 When you feel unmotivated: Move your body

Last but not least, one of the most powerful concepts you can learn about creativity is that it’s a holistic experience: mental, physical, and emotional.

Most cures for writer’s block focus on the mental obstacles, but taking care of the rest of a person is just as important.

If you’re having trouble getting your fingers to move to produce words, try moving your body instead.

• Exercise daily. Did you know that walking is one of the most effective ways to stimulate your brain? In fact, walking a few hours a week slowed dementia and Alzheimer’s in patients significantly more than medication or “brain exercises” ( Source ). Exercise expands what your mind is capable of.
• Change your writing location. Our settings influence our work capabilities. A change in scenery, like moving to a coffee shop, coworking spot, or library, could reset your writing motivation.
• Change your writing tools. If you can’t seem to get your brain to link up with your keyboard, switch to a pen or pencil and get your hands moving. Or try dictating while walking around. Movement, even in small amounts, will break your blocks.
• Try another creative outlet. Painting, playing an instrument, joining a dance class — all of these offer you an opportunity to flex your creative muscles in another environment and for another medium. A writing block could be your brain's way of asking for a new challenge.

As a creative, your whole body is an instrument. And if you want to produce great work, taking care of the entire tool is part of the job.

Be proactive

Writer's block happens to even the most seasoned writers. If you're feeling stuck, try out a few of the solutions listed above. They will get you back to publishing in no time.

— Read this next —

The best books on writing for aspiring writers

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Got Writer's Block? Here's Your Cure

Learn how to identify and treat the four strains of writer's block.

Posted March 13, 2018

Writer’s block. We’ve all experienced the dreaded symptoms. Your hand frozen over the page. The blank screen staring back at you like an unblinking eyeball. The fear rising, whispering “you’ll never be able to write anything good, ever again.”

Writer’s block is one of the few things that nearly all writers share, no matter where they are in their careers. The beginning writer working on their first book. The bestselling debut novelist trudging through the sophomore slump. The prolific author who fears the well has finally run dry. Esteemed authors from Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck to Stephen King and Margaret Atwood have all lamented their woeful run-ins with this dreaded disease.

Given the ubiquity of this scourge, you’d think there would be clear advice on how to treat it. There is not. In fact, the most common advice is contradictory. Some insist writer’s block can only be cured by more writing, suggesting daily scheduled writing periods or writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing. But another camp argues the last thing blocked writers should do is force themselves to write. Instead, they advise taking a break, reading a book, doing laundry—anything that will temporarily distract you from the blocked project.

So which is it?

Not only am I a writer but I’m also a research psychologist, so whenever I see contradictory information, I look to the data. And the data suggests that the solution depends on the type of writer’s block you have.

That’s right, contrary to popular belief, there is more than one kind. There are in fact four, according to Yale researchers Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios. Using their work as a template, I will help you to identify your particular strain of writer’s block and point you toward the best treatment.

1. The Fear-of-Failure Block

The fear-of-failure block is driven by perfectionism and excessive self-criticism. These writers can feel their imaginative juices bubbling under the surface, but they are crippled by the sense that nothing they produce is ever good enough.

One way you can treat this strain of writer’s block is to relax your expectations. As Margaret Atwood said, “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” Accept that writing is a messy process. Your story isn’t going to be perfect the first time you write it (nor the second or third). But that’s okay. You must give yourself permission to not be perfect, to not even be good, during your initial attempt. As writer Jacques Barzun suggests, “Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze. Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes.”

A second way treat this strain of writer’s block is to change your view of failure. Failure is an inherent part of any endeavor, especially a creative one. Novices often view failure as an indication that they don’t have what it takes to become a good writer. But experienced writers know failure is part of the process and that it simply indicates they need to try harder.

Because this block is driven by anxiety , a third treatment it is to engage in calming activities. This is where the “take a break” advice for writer’s block is appropriate and actually works. Go outside and get some fresh air. Spend some quality time with friends and family. Better yet, try meditation (which not only reduces anxiety but boosts creativity ). Give yourself a few hours or even a few days off and chances are, when you come back to your writing you will feel less anxious.

2. The Fear-of-Rejection Block

Rather than self-criticism, the fear-of-rejection block is driven by a concern for others’ criticism. “Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged,” Erica Jong states in The New Writer’s Handbook . “If you imagine the world listening, you'll never write a line.” This strain of writer’s block can produce fear (the writer is afraid she will never achieve others’ lofty standards) or hostility (the writer is angry because she believes she is talented but feels that others are not recognizing her talent). Both emotions occur because the writer feels they are falling short of others’ expectations.

One treatment for this strain is to write without concern for others’ opinions. Easier said than done. Barbara Kingsolver offers this advice: “Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.” Similarly, Stephen King says that writers should work in a room with a closed door—both literally (to block out distractions) and metaphorically (to block out concerns about others’ opinions). Now this doesn’t mean you should never care about what others will think, only that you shouldn’t care during the initial writing phase (save that worry for the rewrites).

But what if you’re the type of person who needs others’ opinions to motivate you? If that is the case, then pick just one person to metaphorically allow into your writing room. John Steinbeck once told a friend suffering from writer’s block, “Pretend that you’re writing not to your editor or to an audience or to a readership, but to someone close, like your sister, or your mother.”

3. The Fear-of-Success Block

The fear-of-success block is driven by a writer’s worry that her success will negatively impact those close to her. Writers who suffer from this block tend to put others’ needs ahead of their own, so the thought of success leads to guilt , fear of change, and worry that their loved ones will become envious or resentful. Now you may be thinking, “Who the hell is afraid of success?” but the truth is people are often unconsciously afraid of success and (more importantly) the changes it brings. Success alters the status quo and produces new experiences some writers may feel unprepared to deal with (e.g., dealing with publishers, lawyers, reporters, internet trolls, stalkers).

To treat this strain of writer’s block, you must learn to prioritize your needs equally with those around you. Also remind yourself that just as you learned how to become an effective writer, you will also learn how to overcome the obstacles that may result from your success. And keep in mind that when you succeed, you will not be alone. There will be agents and publishers and editors to hold your hand and help you navigate your new surroundings.

4. The Lack-of- Motivation Block

The lack-of-motivation block is driven by a sense that your creative well has run dry. You find yourself unable to daydream, to stitch together a coherent sentence, or even find the right words. There are generally two reasons why you might experience this block. Either you’ve fallen out of love with writing itself or you’ve fallen out of love with your current project.

If you feel you’ve fallen out of love with writing, remind yourself this is probably just temporary. Everyone feels burned out from time to time. You just need to take a short break from writing so you can rediscover your love for it. Try sleeping , join a writer’s group, watch a movie, or read a book to remind you why you wanted to write in the first place. And if you adhere to a daily writing schedule, give yourself permission to take a “you” day when you’re feeling blocked. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Burnout also tends to occur when writers replace their intrinsic reasons for writing (your love of it) with extrinsic reasons (desire for critical acclaim, money, fame). If this is the case, it’s time for you to reassess your priorities and remind yourself why you started writing in the first place.

If instead the problem is that you’ve fallen out of love with your current project, then you may need to shake things up. According to Ray Bradbury, “If you’ve got a writer’s block, you can cure it this evening by stopping whatever you’re writing and doing something else. You picked the wrong subject.” Now it’s possible the entire project needs to be amputated, but more likely it’s that you need to make a few strategic, surgical cuts. Maybe the scene you’re working on is unnecessary. Maybe you thought you were writing a horror novel when it really wants to be a mystery novel. Maybe you need to completely remove one of your characters (Stephen King killed off half his characters when he got bogged down in the middle of writing The Stand). Whatever the reason, you need to take a good, long look at your work and be ready to hit the delete button.

But deleting alone is not enough. You also have to fill in those missing spaces with new ideas. This is where free-writing and creative writing prompts can actually be effective. Those tasks help you get reacquainted with your muse and introduce new scenes or storylines or characters that you hadn’t yet considered.

Lastly, because this block is caused by low energy, writers can temporarily treat it by engaging in activities that boost energy. Drink some coffee, go exercise, get some fresh air—whatever works to reinvigorate your sluggish brain.

Writer’s block is often viewed as a disease to be cured. But the truth is, you will never fully get rid of it. If you are lucky enough to have a long writing career , writer’s block is something that will inevitable pop up again and again.

Instead of seeing writer’s block as a disease, think of it like physical pain. Your body uses pain to warn you that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. It is a necessary and beneficial system because it helps identify exactly where the problem resides. Writer’s block is the same way; a little bit can be good for you. It can force you to take your work in new and exciting directions. It can tell you when you are working on the wrong project. And it can tell you when you are writing for the wrong reasons.

When you have writer’s block, your mind is trying to warn you that something is off, so listen to it. What is it telling you? Then treat the block in the ways I’ve described and get back to doing what you love.

For more tips on how you can use psychological science to improve your writing, check out The Writer’s Laboratory at www.melissaburkley.com

Got a good tip for overcoming writer’s block? I’d love to hear it—share it in a comment.

Melissa Burkley, Ph.D. , is a psychologist and author of both fiction and non-fiction.

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7 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

Whether you’re writing a research paper on the ethics of psychology, an analysis of fire management measures, or a thesis on digital piracy and security, writing can be difficult. Add in a full-time job and the demands of modern life, and sometimes it can seem impossible.

The secret to overcoming writer’s block? Sit down at your computer and write. If you wait until you’re inspired, you’ll never do it. Fortunately, methods are available to make it a little easier on you. Here are seven tips to overcome writer’s block.

1. Enhance Your Workspace

Perhaps you have a designated office in your home where you can close the door and study, or maybe you’re doing homework with your kids at the dining room table. No matter your environment, make it a place you want to be. Declutter or try putting out fresh flowers or a picture of what inspires you.

Take into account the time of day you are most productive. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t try to write in the morning. If you’re constantly restless, try writing while standing up.

In addition, consider the temperature and noise. If you’re uncomfortable, writing will be harder, and if you’re distracted, nearly impossible. Put on a comfy sweater and if you can’t deal with quiet, turn on classical music or white noise .

2. Use the Pomodoro Technique

Francesco Cirillo, developer of the Pomodoro technique , says people are most productive in 25-minute blocks.

Set the timer on your phone or download an app (search “productivity timer” in your app store). Then don’t let yourself be interrupted (that means no email, no getting up to get more coffee, etc.). Do whatever you need to do to sit tight and power through. After 25 minutes, take a much-deserved break.

3. Plan a Time and Make a Habit

Much of overcoming writer’s block is sitting down to work. In the book Re-Engineer Your Workday , author Rowena Hubble talks about John Grisham’s routine. Since he was working full days as an attorney when he began writing, he was disciplined about being at his desk to write at 5:30 am sharp and committed to writing at least one page. “These little rituals,” he says, “were silly and brutal, but very important.”

Put time on the calendar and commit to that time. You don’t have to come with ideas or inspiration, but you do have to show up and follow through.

4. Try a Writing Prompt

Remember in grade school when you would be assigned a topic that you had to write about for 15 or 20 minutes? Treat the beginning of your writing time the same way by using a prompt. Writer’s Digest has a section of its website dedicated to them.

5. It's OK to Be Flawed

Trying to write a perfect first draft is a surefire way to suffer writing paralysis. Don’t concern yourself with spelling or grammar or even good writing on your first draft. Just start writing.

In addition, use filler words. (Yes, this is the opposite advice you’ll get from an editor at the end stages of writing.) At the beginning stage, phrases like “due to the fact that” and “it is imperative that” could help you get to the idea you’re searching for, cites the Center for Writing Studies at University of Illinois. You can edit them out later.

If you’re an avid reader, you can glean inspiration from your favorite writers. Even if you’re not always reading, try cracking a book before you sit down to write. Read poetry for 10 minutes, a chapter of a book, or a short essay. This will put you in the right mindset to write your own words—or at least imitate those of your favorite writers.

7. Don’t Give It a Name

According to the American Psychological Association  (APA), many psychologists don’t even believe that writer’s block exists. Psychologist Steven Pritzker told the APA that it’s “an artificial construct that justifies a discipline problem.”

Professor Paul Silvi told the APA that “naming something gives it power.”

So don’t acknowledge it. Sit down at the desk and prove it wrong.

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How To Overcome Writer’s Block (20 Tricks That Really Work)

When it comes to writer’s block, you don’t want to play around. You want to deliver a knock-out punch.

Here’s how to overcome writer’s block:

You overcome writer’s block with the Writer’s Block Destroyer System. In this system, you identify the specific type of writer’s block, apply the customized solution for your specific type of writer’s block, and test the effect. If needed, you apply 20 alternative strategies and retest.

In this article, you’ll learn my foolproof system for overcoming writer’s block.

If you follow the steps, I can virtually guarantee that you will never have to worry about writer’s block again.

What Is Writer’s Block?

Table of Contents

Anyone who has ever tried to be creative knows that it is not always easy.

For some, the blank page (or canvas, or whatever) can be so intimidating that it’s hard to even get started. This is often referred to as “creative block” or “resistance.”

To put it simply, writer’s block is the inability to write .

It can strike at any time, whether you’re a professional artist or just trying to doodle a bit in your spare time.

Writer’s Block Symptoms

The symptoms of writer’s block include:

• Not writing
• Frustration
• Extreme expectations
• Unreaslistic standards
• Severe self-criticism
• Lack of overall creativity
• Decreased motivation
• Second-guessing yourself
• Indecisiveness

What Causes Writer’s Block?

There are a number of different theories on the subject.

Common causes of writer’s block:

• Procrastination
• Unprocessed emotion

Some say that it’s simply a matter of fear: we’re afraid of not being good enough, or of not living up to our own standards.

Others believe that it’s a form of self-sabotage, an unconscious way of protecting ourselves from failure. Your resistance might stem from a habit of procrastination, lack of motivation, or lack of clarity.

Whatever the cause, creative block can be a very real and very frustrating experience.

The good news is that there are ways to overcome it.

How To Overcome Writer’s Block: The Complete System

Right here at the beginning, I want to go over the complete Writer’s Block Destroyer System.

Here is the system:

• Identify the Type of Writer’s Block (Hint: There are at least 6 different types)
• Apply the Correct Solution
• Test the Effect
• Apply 20 Alternate Strategies

Each step in the process is incredibly important.

If you skip a step, you might end up unintentionally lumping new resistance on top of your existing writer’s block.

Nobody’s want’s that.

Step 1: Identify The Type of Writer’s Block

When you want to know how to overcome writer’s block, the first thing you need to know is the type of writer’s block.

For a long time, I thought there was only ONE type of writer’s block.

After all, we don’t say “writer’s blocks” (plural)—mostly because it sounds really weird. But what if I told you that there were more than one type of writer’s block?

What if not everyone experienced the exact same type of block? What if not every block you experienced was the same?

There are 6 main types of writer’s block:

• Too many ideas

Character Confusion

• What Happens Next

Emotional Blockage

Let’s quickly deconstruct these 6 types of blocks.

Identifying the correct type of block is the first step in the system. If you don’t know what type of resistance you’re facing, then you might be trying to fix the wrong problem.

Usually, in vain.

As you read about each of the six types of writer’s block, see if you can remember times when you might have experienced them.

I know I have .

One of the two most common types of writer’s block is not having any ideas.

It can be paralyzing, but it need not be for long. This usually happens when a writer is trying to come up with a story or article to write. It’s when you struggle to grasp even the first thread of creativity.

The writer stares into space, groping for something, anything that might produce a strong, workable idea.

Too Many Ideas

The other most common type, this block is the opposite of the first block. In this form of resistence, a writer is overwhelmed with story ideas.

They have too many options and succumb to selection paralysis.

They ask themselves, “What idea should I choose? I like all 200 of them!”

Sometimes writers get blocked in the middle of a story.

This can happen for a variety of reasons, but one common reason is that the writer loses track of the essence of the character.

They don’t know how a character will react to specific story events. 

What Happens Next?

A related block is not knowing how the story itself will proceed. This is the “What happens next?” block.

A nonfiction or fiction writer can face this form of resistance.

Even a blogger might not know how to extend a 500-word article into a 1,500-word blog post.

All too often, there is an emotional reason behind the block.

The reason, while possibly related to the story, usually involves non-story events, experiences, and people. The writer is blocked due to unresolved emotions in their personal life.

I actually think this is the most common form of writer’s block.

 Pain Point

Sometimes the subject matter or plot point in the story is so personal that he writer cannot go on.

This could be related to a broken relationship, death, violence, loss, or something altogether different. The main focus of this type of block is that the writer connects on a deep level with the pain of the story.

The pain prevents the writer from moving forward with the story or piece of content.

Step 2: Apply the Correct Solution

Now that you have identified the type of writer’s block, it’s time to apply the solution.

“I don’t have writer’s block. I have writer’s hurdles and I jump them every time I sit down at the keyboard.”—Christopher Kokoski

There are specific, effective responses to each different type.

The truth is, you probably do have an idea. Lots of them. You just don’t know it.

Here are a few things you can try. Read the back cover blurbs of 20 published novels or nonfiction books. You can go to the library, a bookstore, or just browse Amazon.com.

Brainstorm how you could combine any two or three of those ideas, or take a different slant on them:

• Twilight and Bourne Identity
• The Longest Ride and Harry Potte r
• A biography of Leonardo DaVinci and The Rock

Next, write down five of your strongest beliefs about life (i.e., people are good, love always prevails, etc) and five things that you hate (i.e. violence against animals, abuse of children, diseases, etc).

Now, consider a character or perspective who believed the very opposite of you.

What kind of character would that be? How did they come to hold those polar opposite views? Ask, “What if?” What if a kid wanted to kidnap his parents and was right? What if your boyfriend was a serial killer? What if zombies were super-intelligent?

The problem here is with prioritizing your ideas.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Which story or idea do I feel strongest about?
• Which story or idea has the most commercial appeal?
• Which story lends itself to the most conflict, drama, or character change?
• Which story or idea can be easily summed up in a sentence or two?

Also, poll friends and family or your social media followers on which idea sounds best. Get feedback and then go with your gut.

This type of writer’s block usually impacts fiction authors (novels, short stories, screenplays, or fanfiction).

The solution is to g o back to the basics of character creation.

What is the character’s biggest goal? Biggest fear? How have they reacted to previous story events? What is their internal conflict that relates to the external story conflict?

What can they do to resolve both conflicts?

What would any other person do? Look at their experiences, backstory, and personality. What is the next logical step or action? Or, conversely, what would make things worse?

Have the character do that. It’s probably more interesting.

Go back to the basics of story or idea creation.

For nonfiction, ask yourself:

• What is the question I’m wanting to answer?
• What’s another context? (Different price, different season, different speed, different use case?)
• What else does the reader want to know?
• What else does the reason need to know?
• When does XYZ happen?
• Where does XYZ happen?
• Why does XYZ happen?

For fiction, ask yourself:

• What is the main conflict?
• What is the main goal?
• What options haven’t the characters tried to resolve the conflict or solve the goal?
• What has the antagonist been up to?
• Have they been passive or actively working against the protagonist(s).
• What could they do next to stop, hinder, or destroy the protagonists?
• What bad thing could happen?
• What could go terribly wrong?
• W hat could be even worse?

Ask and answer these types of questions and you will likely be on your way to happy writing.

First, i dentify the emotion that is blocking you.

Do an emotional scan of your body, especially for anger, anxiety, and sadness (or depression). These three feelings often challenge people in general.

Once identified, embrace and express the feeling in healthy ways.

Talk to someone, meditate, pray. The key is awareness and compassionate expression. Once the emotion is naturally released, you will often be able to write.

Usually, this block begins to dissolves as soon as you acknowledge the pain. Then, it’s all about choosing to process and push through the discomfort so you write.

One note: most great stories and pieces of content feel uncomfortable to write.

The discomfort is a good sign that you are delving into the depths of the theme and character change. If you discover any unresolved pain from the past, try the emotional blockage solutions.

Step 3: Test the Effect

You know the solution worked when you can get back to writing.

You typically feel better, lighter, and more relaxed. Other times, you might feel excited to get back to the story, essay, or blog post. You might have intense motivation.

The litmus test is, Can you write?

If you find that you still feel blocked, it’s time to throw one of the next 20 strategies at your creative resistence.

Step 4: Try 20 Alternate Strategies To Overcome Writer’s Block

How to overcome writer’s block?

Here are a collection of other solutions you can use to dissolve writer’s block forever. Experiment with them. See which ones work best for you or for the particular block you are currently facing.

Check out these 20 alternate writer’s block cures:

• Move your body —Science is clear that changing our body changes our mood. Go for a walk, do yoga, lift weights, dand ance.
• Get creative —Try sketching the next scene for your story , article, or essay.
• Skip the scene —Write a later scene or section and come back to the current one later.
• Write about the block —Write anything. Just get your pen, pencil, or keyboard fingers moving.
• Roleplay —Act out the scene. Be all the characters. 
• Get silly —Be goofy. Get into a kid’s frame of mind. They are creative geniuses. 
• Get bored —Boredom is another scientifically-based method of triggering genius-level creativity.
• Get happy —Research shows that happiness is the breeding group of insight and innovation.
• Write in a blue room —The color blue is associated with a playful, creative mind.
• Make a mess —Studies have concluded that people who work in a messy environment come up with more creative ideas.
• Relax and don’t rush yourself —Trying to will yourself into creativity often backfires brilliantly.
• Surround yourself with inspiration —Put up pictures. Talk to fascinating people.
• Use the copy and paste method —Manually re-write your favorite poem, long quote, or page from a novel (just don’t publish it).
• Read about something random —Fill your mind with lots of possible connection points. Your creative brain can merge dissperate ideas into something fresh and exciting.
• Challenge your brain —Work on a puzzle. Write something hard. Give yourself a challenge that wakes up your muse.
• Buy a plant —Research shows that people who live and work in natural environments become more creative.
• Take a cat nap —Sometimes sleep revitalizes a sluggish brain.
• Do something new —Novel experiences are more likely to get you into the flow state of creativity.
• Turn on ambient noise —Soft background noise invites creative thinking.
• Use automatic creativity tools —Take advantage of technology to break free of writer’s block. You can consider these your writer’s block help generators.

Right now, my two favorite writer’s block help generators are:

• Jasper AI Writer
• Nuance Dragon Speech to Text Software

Step 5: Retest the Results 

Repeat the earlier step.

Odds are, if you have made it this far through the system, you are well on your way to writing your story , essay, report, or article.

That’s how you overcome writer’s block.

Remember: the only success that counts is, Are you writing ? If so, that’s winning.

If you’re looking for an instant cure to writer’s block, check out this video:

How Long Does Writer’s Block Last?

Writer’s block can last a few minutes or a few years.

The length of writer’s block is often determined by the depth and severity of the cause, whether or not you face the cause, and how you attempt to resolve the cause.

Writer’s block will last longer if you ignore the cause.

Your resistance will also go on and on if you do not correctly identity the right type of blockage and apply the correct solution.

On the flip side, your creative speedbump can be over in a matter of minutes or days if you go through the Destroyer System.

This Is How Not To Overcome Writer’s Block

Here are five things NOT to do when you’re struggling to write:

• Watch TV —It may seem like a good way to take a break, but watching TV will only make it harder to focus when you sit down to write again.
• Play video games —Like TV, video games can be a major distraction. If you’re trying to overcome writer’s block, it’s best to avoid them altogether.
• Scroll through social media —Social media can be a huge time suck. If you find yourself scrolling through Twitter or Instagram when you should be writing, close the app and focus on your work.
• Wait for inspiration —Inspiration is great, but it’s not always reliable. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just sit down and write.
• Make excuses for yourself —When we give ourselves permission to remain blocked, we turn our creative energies against our own goals and dreams. It’s basically creative self-sabotage.

Final Thoughts: How To Overcome Writer’s Block

The bottom line is that you overcome writer’s block by facing and freeing the underlying cause of your creative resistance.

Once you let go of what’s holding you back, you’ll be unstoppable.

Related posts:

• How To Write Like Danielle Steel (10 Ways)
• What Is Shadow Writing? (Ultimate Guide for Beginners)
• 20 Best YouTube Channels for Writers
• The Best Thesaurus for Writers
• How To Overcome Laziness in Writing (10 Helpful Tips)

American Psychological Association (Journal of Creative Behavior) Academia.edu

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Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

←How to Write a Last Minute Essay

11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your Essay→

We’ve all had that feeling. You know you have to write an essay, a research paper, or even a story, but you can’t seem to string two thoughts together. It’s frustrating, it’s disheartening, and you don’t know how long it’ll be before inspiration strikes again. 

This familiar feeling is commonly known as “writer’s block”. According to The New Yorker , it was once believed that writer’s block was caused by exhausting one’s supply of inspiration or a lack of external motivation. Now, thanks to the research of Jermone Singer and Michael Barrios, we know that there are four broad causes of writer’s block: 

• Excessively harsh self-criticism 
• Fear of being compared to other writers and their work
• A lake of external motivation such as praise or attention 
• A lack of internal motivation such as a desire to share a story with the world 

No matter which bucket your writer’s block falls under, you are certainly not alone, and you can definitely get your creative juices flowing again. Want to get over your writer’s block? Here are some proven techniques that will help re-inspire your writing. 

Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block On Your College Essay 

1. freewrite .

A lot of people get stuck on the idea that what they write has to be perfect, and that pressure keeps them from writing down anything at all. If you find yourself feeling that weight on your shoulders, just take a step back for a minute. Give yourself some leeway to write whatever you want on the topic that you’re writing about, even if it’s grammatically incorrect or irrelevant. Just writing something down can often give the mind something to work with, and it can often lead to further inspiration.

Keep in mind that this freewriting can take whatever form you want it to. It can be full sentences, bullet points, even phrases randomly placed on a sheet of paper. Whatever gets your brain thinking in some capacity is a good step in overcoming writer’s block. 

2. Respond to Brainstorm Questions 

What if your writer’s block is so bad that you can’t even come up with a topic or subject for your essay? If you need a place to start, try thinking about something that is not directly related to your college essays. The easiest things to brainstorm are things that you know, like yourself. Here are some easy brainstorm questions to get you thinking: 

• Who are my favorite characters on TV, Literature, and movies? Why are these my favorite characters? 
• What is something that I would join a multi-day protest march for? Is there actually anything that I am passionate about?
• Say I had to start a business selling something, and I would achieve the average level of success (financially, socially, etc) within that business, what would I choose to do?
• What nonprofit or cause would I volunteer for assuming I could not choose an activity that I’ve already done or an activity available in my school?

While these questions may not be immediately relevant to the college essay you’re trying to write, they are introspective questions. So the more you think about answers to these questions, the more you are reflecting on yourself and your goals. If you can start writing down your answers, then you’re already well on your way to writing a personal statement or explaining your interests and passions to colleges.

3. Talk It Out With A Friend 

College essays always ask you to reflect on yourself, and who knows you better than some of your closest friends? While they shouldn’t write your essay for you, they can be a good sounding board for ideas while giving you some ideas of their own. Try contacting someone you trust and asking them how they would answer the essay prompt if they were answering it for you. See what comes to their mind. They may bring up an interesting approach to an essay that you hadn’t even thought about, or remind you about an aspect of yourself that you hadn’t already considered. Their ideas could help spark your ideas. 

Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be a friend. It could be a close relative, a neighbor, or even a teacher. You just need to talk to somebody who knows you well and can give you insight on how you should approach the essay, not how they would. 

4. Read a Memoir or Listen To a Podcast 

Inspiration tends to fuel inspiration, and what better way to get inspired to write a creative essay about yourself than to read/listen to others’ creative essays about themselves. Perhaps listening to people tell their stories will give you some ideas on how you can tell your story for your college essays. 

People share their stories in a variety of ways, both offline and online. You could read the personal memoir of someone who inspires you, or of someone whose story you relate to. If you want something that takes a little bit less time, you could listen to a podcast or watch a TED Talk of people telling their stories. Some other places to find inspiration are The New York Times’ Modern Love column or stories from The Moth . Most of the above are short and quick and could possibly spark inspiration for your own essay. 

5. Change Your Environment 

Maybe it’s not that you lack ideas or inspiration. Maybe you just can’t, for whatever reason, seem to get your ideas down on paper. That’s totally normal, and there’s a chance that your environment has something to do with it. If you’ve been brainstorming in your room for hours or if you’re not comfortable wherever you are, it’s going to be very difficult for you to be able to write creatively and vulnerably. 

Try going somewhere else to write, preferably somewhere with fresh air and sunshine. A simple change of scenery can be surprisingly helpful in getting your brain to work again and letting the creativity come through. As long as you’re peaceful and comfortable wherever you go, it’s a good place to be writing. 

6. Get Some Exercise 

It is commonly accepted that exercise releases endorphins and other helpful chemicals that stimulate your brain and keep you happy. In this way, exercise can be very beneficial in the writing process. If you’re feeling frustrated because of your writer’s block, exercise can lift your mood and give you a much-needed break. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, the chemicals in your brain can help spark some creative inspiration for your essay. 

Of course, it might be a little bit difficult to go for a run or get exercise if you’re staying at home. Just remember that no form of exercise is better than another, and exercise doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. Do some jumping jacks in place, find an apartment-friendly workout video online, or just put on some music and dance in your room. The key is to get your body moving.

7. Use a Pen and Paper 

Most students type their essays on computers instead of writing them down, and this makes sense. Almost all college applications are submitted online now, and it’s easier to share your essays with others for editing. 

That being said, typing your essays may not be the best idea if you’re experiencing writer’s block. The blank screen in front of you may be a psychological deterrent to your creativity, and the internet may serve as a huge distraction. 

If you find yourself unable to come up with something to write on a computer, try going old school and writing your ideas with a pen and paper. If you don’t have any of that around, try jotting down some ideas on a dry erase board or chalkboard. Writing your ideas instead of typing them encourages you to jot down shorter ideas and think in an entirely different way. This can be a beneficial switch for your brain as you attempt to overcome your writer’s block.

8. Work On A Different Section 

Who says that you have to write your essay from start to finish? If you are having trouble coming up with the beginning, write the end or start somewhere in the middle! If you have an idea of what you want to say and how you want the essay to flow, you can write it down in whatever order you want. Write down the parts that come easiest to you and circle back to the parts you haven’t quite figured out yet. This way, you’ll at least have something written down, and you can use that something to inspire you to write the other parts of your essay later. 

Again, your essay does not have to be perfect on the first draft. If the different parts of your essay don’t seem to fit together because you wrote them at different times, that’s okay. At least you’ll have all of the parts written down, and you can edit from there. 

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

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Writer's Block

After writing nearly 70 Perspectives , it was bound to happen; it seems I have hit “writer's block.” This is the first time I sat down to write my monthly essay in over 8 months and I decided to use the occasion to familiarize myself with this condition (and try to liberate myself from it). Writer's block varies in intensity from extreme (abandoning one's career as an author—think Harper Lee and Ralph Ellison) to trivial and temporary (which I hope mine is). Why worry? Most writers have it at one time or another. The most common causes cited for writer's block are lack of inspiration, illness, depression, financial pressure, and a sense of failure. None of these apply to me. In my case, maybe it is just good old academic pressure. With increasing frequency, I hear that the only part of AJNR that our subscribers read is my Perspectives , to which I say: What about the rest of the Journal ? That is where most of my energy and time are spent! And, if our readers are paying that much attention to my short essays, should each one be better than the last? Writer's block sounds like the ideal excuse to avoid thinking about what to write (just look at the title of my first reference: “Writer's Block as an Instrument for Remaining in Paradise”). 1

Writer's block is a modern notion, and the term was coined in 1947 by Dr Edmund Bergler, a famous Austrian psychiatrist living in New York City. 2 Today, it is well accepted that the notion of writer's block arose in conjunction with the sudden prestige of psychiatry in the United States after World War II. Dr Bergler, a follower of Freud, blamed writer's block on oral masochism and a milk-denying mother (that gives me something to think about because I know that I was bottle-fed!), in addition to other “phallic and anal” explanations along Freudian lines. Stress leads to panic, and some scientists believe that the reticular activating system in the brain stem will shift higher functions associated with writing from the cortex to the limbic system under duress. 3 Others disagree and think that the creative writing process starts at the level of the limbic system, whereas more technical writing is initially fueled by the frontal cortex. If both were true, all writing would stop as functions shift from one location to the other. However, writer's block can be selective, as it is in my case. That is, I continue to write other articles, chapters, and books, but writing this specific series of essays is my problem. Writer's block is commonly seen in college and university students who consistently fail to turn in their written assignments. In them, procrastination (a behavior specifically called “academic trait procrastination”) is a major component of writer's block. Procrastination is learned, so education specialists claim that it can be unlearned. 1 Perfectionism is also blamed for the block; it seems to motivate some procrastination, and together these both promote writer's block. 1 In academia, the notion of writer's block is disdained by younger members but seems to gain respect at higher levels where it occurs more commonly. 4

Writer's block is better termed “creative inhibition” or “creative block.” 5 It is becoming more prominent: it was little known by the early Romantic writers, became more prominent during the epoch of the French Symbolists, and last, was rampant (and became a recognized entity) during the period of the great American novel. Today, in a manner similar to attention-deficit disorder, writer's block is a nearly unique American affliction (though it occasionally happens in other countries, vide infra). 6

Agraphia is the ultimate writer's block because it refers to the physiologic inability to write, but, in this case, lesions in the brain, such as those induced by trauma or stroke, are present and explain it. Agraphia results from damage to the Wernicke area and is nearly always accompanied by other language disabilities. In some cases, the inability to write may be physical, such as so-called “writer's cramp.” This is a muscle dystonia, and DTI has shown fractional anisotropy changes in the fibers connecting the primary sensorimotor areas with subcortical structures in individuals who suffer from it. 7 In such individuals, fMRI has also shown abnormally low activation of the sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor areas. 8 The findings of these studies imply that both inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms play a role in writer's cramp and that the pain it causes prevents writing by hand. Writer's cramp can also develop during typing and other activities such as using a screwdriver. Compared with men, women are thought to be better writers; however fMRI does not show significant differences in brain activation for either sex while writing. 9 The same study found significant differences between good and poor writers while handwriting, mostly in brain regions involved with planning for serial finger movements.

The opposite of writer's block is also known to occur, and it can be temporary or affect an individual all of his or her life. Balzac, Hugo, and Dickens probably had “graphorrhea.” The problem with calling the obsession to write “graphorrhea” is that this term is also used for manic patients who compose long lists, many times containing only meaningless words, which is not the same as writing many great novels. As psychiatry evolved from an analytic discipline to a chemical science, writer's block came to be blamed on abnormal brain chemistry. More seriously, writer's block can be a manifestation of a dangerous underlying psychiatric disease such as schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or substance abuse (think Scott Fitzgerald).

Writer's block has been assessed in individuals who speak languages other than English. Two studies addressed it in Chinese and Spanish native speakers and found that it occurs in those languages as it does in English. 10 – 12 In other languages, as in English, writer's block appears to be related to premature editing and to a lack of strategies for dealing with complex writing tasks. Developing a strategy before the actual writing helps some individuals. Princeton Professor and author John McPhee tells a related story in his essay “Structure.” 13 For 2 weeks he lay down on a picnic table under the trees looking at them and wondering how to start a piece on pines. After 8 months of work, he was finally able to turn it in. He suggests that having a preplanned structure eases the stress of writing and results in a better organized and flowing article. The ease of cutting and pasting makes attaining the desired structure easier today than in the past.

The use of a computer with word-processing capabilities reduces writer's block for second-language writers but not for native-language writers. 14 Spelling is also intimately related to the ability to write. In one study, disabled spellers showed significantly more activation in clusters of neural networks associated with working memory and executive functions. 15 Computer programs that automatically correct spelling may help these individuals overcome writer's block.

Because writing is intimately related to reading, recognition of the written word is needed for both activities. Alexia is a condition in which patients lose their ability to read and is associated with lesions in the left parietal and occipital lobes. 16 Alexia has been “folklorized” in several accounts by the famous and popular author and neurologist Oliver Sacks. His patients who had this condition were said to have lesions affecting the VWFA (visual word recognition area), which is presumably located in the left midfusiform gyrus (running from temporal to occipital lobe under the parahippocampal gyrus). Because this area is also involved in the recognition of auditory, phonologic, and visual impulses, patients with lesions there have more symptoms than alexia only. Pure alexia caused by a lesion in the VWFA has not been reported. More importantly, a meta-analysis of the literature, including fMRI studies, states that this brain region does not participate in visual word processing, and thus its concept is erroneous. 17 Alexia without agraphia occurs with lesions involving the left-sided splenium of the corpus callosum.

Strategies for coping with (and curing) writer's block include group discussions, brainstorming (I wrote an essay against this), list-making (I have a long list of topics that I have considered, but none seem very attractive now), and engaging with the text (I have no idea what this means). Recalcitrant blockage must be treated with extensive “therapy.” 15 Other cures include “automatic writing” in which texts are produced from the subconscious without conscious awareness. 18 Instead of coming directly from the writer's mind, Arthur Conan Doyle believed that automatic writing came from external spirits. Channeling writing from a spirit is called “psychography.” Both phenomena may be explained as “ideomotor effects” meaning just an activity of which we are partially or completely unaware. Of course, all of this is nonsense, and fMRI has proved (many times) that ideomotor effects originate in the brain and not outside of it. 19

At this point, I must say that having finished this Perspectives , I feel somewhat liberated. Whether that feeling will be short-lived or last and allow me to write next month's piece, you, kind reader, must wait and see.

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Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning

Jonathan Lambert

If you're like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you've spent much time writing by hand.

The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity — imagine having to write all your emails longhand.

To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand.

But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that's uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad — for both children and adults.

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In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.

"There's actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand," says Ramesh Balasubramaniam , a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. "It has important cognitive benefits."

While those benefits have long been recognized by some (for instance, many authors, including Jennifer Egan and Neil Gaiman , draft their stories by hand to stoke creativity), scientists have only recently started investigating why writing by hand has these effects.

A slew of recent brain imaging research suggests handwriting's power stems from the relative complexity of the process and how it forces different brain systems to work together to reproduce the shapes of letters in our heads onto the page.

Your brain on handwriting

Both handwriting and typing involve moving our hands and fingers to create words on a page. But handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning.

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"Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of," says Marieke Longcamp , a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.

Gripping a pen nimbly enough to write is a complicated task, as it requires your brain to continuously monitor the pressure that each finger exerts on the pen. Then, your motor system has to delicately modify that pressure to re-create each letter of the words in your head on the page.

"Your fingers have to each do something different to produce a recognizable letter," says Sophia Vinci-Booher , an educational neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University. Adding to the complexity, your visual system must continuously process that letter as it's formed. With each stroke, your brain compares the unfolding script with mental models of the letters and words, making adjustments to fingers in real time to create the letters' shapes, says Vinci-Booher.

That's not true for typing.

To type "tap" your fingers don't have to trace out the form of the letters — they just make three relatively simple and uniform movements. In comparison, it takes a lot more brainpower, as well as cross-talk between brain areas, to write than type.

Recent brain imaging studies bolster this idea. A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing " sync up " with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning.

"We don't see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all," says Audrey van der Meer , a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process and that this richness may confer some cognitive benefits.

Other experts agree. "There seems to be something fundamental about engaging your body to produce these shapes," says Robert Wiley , a cognitive psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "It lets you make associations between your body and what you're seeing and hearing," he says, which might give the mind more footholds for accessing a given concept or idea.

Those extra footholds are especially important for learning in kids, but they may give adults a leg up too. Wiley and others worry that ditching handwriting for typing could have serious consequences for how we all learn and think.

What might be lost as handwriting wanes

The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters.

"Letter recognition in early childhood is actually one of the best predictors of later reading and math attainment," says Vinci-Booher. Her work suggests the process of learning to write letters by hand is crucial for learning to read them.

"When kids write letters, they're just messy," she says. As kids practice writing "A," each iteration is different, and that variability helps solidify their conceptual understanding of the letter.

Research suggests kids learn to recognize letters better when seeing variable handwritten examples, compared with uniform typed examples.

This helps develop areas of the brain used during reading in older children and adults, Vinci-Booher found.

"This could be one of the ways that early experiences actually translate to long-term life outcomes," she says. "These visually demanding, fine motor actions bake in neural communication patterns that are really important for learning later on."

Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don't get developed as well, which could impair kids' ability to learn down the road.

"If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won't reach their full potential," says van der Meer. "It's scary to think of the potential consequences."

Many states are trying to avoid these risks by mandating cursive instruction. This year, California started requiring elementary school students to learn cursive , and similar bills are moving through state legislatures in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin. (So far, evidence suggests that it's the writing by hand that matters, not whether it's print or cursive.)

Slowing down and processing information

For adults, one of the main benefits of writing by hand is that it simply forces us to slow down.

During a meeting or lecture, it's possible to type what you're hearing verbatim. But often, "you're not actually processing that information — you're just typing in the blind," says van der Meer. "If you take notes by hand, you can't write everything down," she says.

The relative slowness of the medium forces you to process the information, writing key words or phrases and using drawing or arrows to work through ideas, she says. "You make the information your own," she says, which helps it stick in the brain.

Such connections and integration are still possible when typing, but they need to be made more intentionally. And sometimes, efficiency wins out. "When you're writing a long essay, it's obviously much more practical to use a keyboard," says van der Meer.

Still, given our long history of using our hands to mark meaning in the world, some scientists worry about the more diffuse consequences of offloading our thinking to computers.

"We're foisting a lot of our knowledge, extending our cognition, to other devices, so it's only natural that we've started using these other agents to do our writing for us," says Balasubramaniam.

It's possible that this might free up our minds to do other kinds of hard thinking, he says. Or we might be sacrificing a fundamental process that's crucial for the kinds of immersive cognitive experiences that enable us to learn and think at our full potential.

Balasubramaniam stresses, however, that we don't have to ditch digital tools to harness the power of handwriting. So far, research suggests that scribbling with a stylus on a screen activates the same brain pathways as etching ink on paper. It's the movement that counts, he says, not its final form.

Jonathan Lambert is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who covers science, health and policy.

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Where Will Super Micro Computer Stock Be in 3 Years?

May 16, 2024 — 07:15 am EDT

Written by Harsh Chauhan for The Motley Fool  ->

Shares of Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) -- aka Supermicro -- have been red-hot in recent years. The company would have turned an investment of just $100 made three years ago into more than $2,300 as of this writing -- though it is worth noting that a big chunk of those gains arrived in the past year and a half, after it became clear how the artificial intelligence (AI) boom would drive robust growth in its top and bottom lines.

More specifically, a $100 investment in Super Micro Computer made at the beginning of January 2023 would now be worth $950. That's despite a drop in the company's stock price of late. Shares of Supermicro are down by 34% from the 52-week high that it hit on March 8. However, this pullback has provided a solid opportunity for investors looking to add an AI stock to their portfolios, as Supermicro seems primed to deliver robust gains over the next three years.

Super Micro Computer's growth should continue

In Super Micro Computer's fiscal 2024 third quarter (which ended March 31), its revenue jumped a stunning 200% year over year, as the demand for the company's servers remained robust. What's more, the company's non- GAAP earnings shot up 308% to $6.65 per share.

Management pointed out that its product development moves and healthy demand for its server solutions are helping the company "expand our market leadership in AI infrastructure." The fact that Supermicro's revenue is growing at a much faster pace than the AI server market adds credibility to those claims.

According to market research firm TrendForce, the global AI server market could grow by 40% this year. Supermicro's fiscal 2024 guidance for revenues of $14.9 billion, meanwhile, equates to growth of just under 110%. Even better, analysts have significantly raised their revenue expectations from Supermicro following its latest results.

SMCI Revenue Estimates for Current Fiscal Year data by YCharts.

It is easy to understand why analysts have bumped up their expectations for Supermicro. The company's supply chain is improving, and it is winning new customers for its server solutions, especially its liquid-cooled servers. Management points out that its liquid-cooled servers can help customers reduce energy expenses by 40%, and they are witnessing healthy demand thanks to the increasing power consumption of new AI graphics cards.

According to a forecast by analysts at Research and Markets, sales of liquid-cooled servers could increase from $4.45 billion in 2023 to almost $40 billion in 2033. So, Super Micro Computer has a huge secular growth opportunity. Moreover, the market for AI servers is expected to generate $150 billion in revenue in 2027 as compared to $30 billion last year.

With Supermicro growing at a much faster pace than this end market, it won't be surprising to see its top line head higher over the next three years. That could lead to an impressive rise in its stock price.

A bright outlook for the stock

Based on analysts' forecasts, Supermicro's revenue could jump to $28.2 billion in its fiscal 2026. It generated $7.1 billion in revenue in fiscal 2023, so hitting that projection would require a compound annual revenue growth rate of 58%. Assuming it increases its revenue at a more conservative rate of 20% in its fiscal 2027 (which will end in June 2027), its top line could hit $34 billion after three years.

Multiplying the projected revenue in fiscal 2027 with the S&P 500 index's average price-to-sales ratio of 2.8 gives Supermicro a projected market cap of $95 billion in three years. That would be just over double its current market cap. What's more, Supermicro is currently trading at just under 4 times sales, so it is not that expensive.

Hence, investors who have missed out on the terrific gains that this AI stock has delivered so far can still consider buying it, since it could jump significantly over the next three years.

Should you invest $1,000 in Super Micro Computer right now?

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Harsh Chauhan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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NHL 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoff chances and projected standings

Welcome to our NHL projections and probabilities page where you will find each team’s projected point total, its probability of making the playoffs and its odds of advancing to each subsequent round, including winning the Stanley Cup .

The projections are based on 50,000 simulations of the remainder of the season, which factors in each team’s projected strength, current health and strength of schedule (which includes opponent strength, venue and rest). Each team’s projected strength is based on the projected value of the players on its roster, which is based on their Offensive and Defensive Rating . 

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Dom Luszczyszyn is a national NHL writer for The Athletic who writes primarily about hockey analytics and new ways of looking at the game. Previously, he’s worked at The Hockey News, The Nation Network and Hockey Graphs. Follow Dom on Twitter @ domluszczyszyn