Plan Ahead to ditch writer’s Block

Try sketching the beats of the scene in advance. Describe what happens in summary, jot down important phrasing or details before you forget them. Separating the planning from the drafting can help you see the scene from a different perspective and help you get moving again.

Did Writer’s block sneak up on you?

Stop pushing forward and start looking backwards. If you wrote yourself into a corner, looking at the plot points that led you here and changing them will likely be more helpful than waiting for inspiration to strike.

Put writer’s block on trial

Make a list of problems with the scene that are making it hard to write. Ask yourself what purpose it is serving in the story. Maybe it doesn’t deserve to be a scene, and can be replaced by a line of summary. If it’s boring but necessary, find a way to make it do more work and be more exciting. Maybe it can be combined with a different scene, or put into a more interesting setting (arguing with your ex in a living room over a cup of coffee? Meh. Arguing with them as you’re both desperately trying to prevent a hot air balloon from crashing? Fun!).

Bonus tip: Unblock your process, not your story

The previous three tips assume that the problem is in the story. But you should also evaluate yourself (from a nonjudgmental standpoint—avoid

Image by Steve A Johnson from Pixabay

 self-recrimination and approach this as a problem-solving exercise). For example:

Is your energy consistently low in the evenings? Try mornings, work breaks, and weekends. Is your energy too high to sit still for long periods? Try exercising before you write, or dictating while walking.

Is your writing process just different? Some writers have a flood/drought style where they go long periods without drafting and then sit down and let it all out at once. Some writers write a few minutes a day here and there in a slow but steady trickle, others need a block of hours set aside to get into the flow state. Is your writing routine supporting your natural writing process?

Have you lost interest in this story? Writing a novel is a long process. For new writers especially, it’s common for their tastes and skill level to change faster than they can complete a novel. It’s okay to learn what you can from an idea and then let it go. If you flit from idea to idea frequently and despair of finishing anything, consider drafting your ideas in miniature as short stories, then expanding the ones that hold your interest. 

If you are consistently struggling to write, ask yourself why. The answer may not be in this list, but if you’re honest and kind to yourself, it will come to you. And if you’re really struggling, Nicole and I are always happy to try and help.

Katherine