Why Writer’s Block Happens and How to Get Your Groove Back

Imagine you’re sitting in front of a screen (or a paper if you’re old school). 

You blink at the empty page, and the cursor blinks back. 

Is that silly thing threatening me or something?

Before you know it, a heavy cloud settles over your mind. It feels like it’s compressing what little words you can imagine into a headache of nothingness.

Whenever you try to clear the cloudy mist, a massive wall, or block (see what we did there?), stands in your way. 

Why won’t this thing move out of the way?!

Every writer has experienced it, whether they’ll admit it or not. It’s a frustrating plague that posts up in your head without paying rent.

We’re going to help you evict it. For good.

What is Writer’s Block?

Writer’s block is a psychological barrier that renders writers unable to continue or start a writing project. 

More than the foggy feeling we described above, it feels like you’re stagnant and unsuccessful. 

Whether it’s for an hour or a month, it feels like you’re failing your story and yourself. 

Some would say it’s more mythological than psychological because they believe it’s made up. But we believe it’s a bit of both.

You know how Santa Clause exists for children but isn’t real? Gifts will find themselves underneath a Christmas tree, but there’s no evidence that Santa put them there. 

It’s kind of the same thing with writer’s block. Words won’t flow onto the page, but there’s no evidence that you can’t write.

We’re using this angle to help you with your writer’s block, by debunking it and providing solid solutions to move past it.

Why Do I Have Writer’s Block?

Your writer’s block doesn’t come from nowhere. Behind every psychological barrier is a cause. 

And we’re going to help you find yours:

Fear of failure

When you start a new book, chapter, or article, there are these pestering thoughts:

“What if the idea isn’t good enough?”

“What if I can’t express the message how I imagined it?”

“What if I’m not good enough to write it?”

The fear of not reaching the heights you imagine can be so crippling that you can’t write anything.

You’re too scared to find out.

Or maybe you’re a perfectionist. You need it to be perfect or you’ll feel like it’s a complete failure.

So, you get writer’s block – because if you don’t write it, you can’t fail.

Solution

When the temperature rises inside a pressure cooker the steam collects, increasing the pressure. 

When your head fills with self-doubt, fears, and negativity, it builds pressure in your mind and body for this piece of work to be a perfect masterpiece.

Just like a pressure cooker, you need to release everything pent up inside. Except it’s not as simple as flipping the valve. 

Conquering your fears means accepting them. 

• Yes, you are not perfect. 
• Yes, your book won’t be perfect. 
• Yes, absolutely your first draft will be a hot mess. It’s supposed to be.

So, take the pressure off yourself and create realistic visions and goals for yourself that feel manageable and not overwhelming. Accept your limitations and use them to make your work unique to you.

And to all our perfectionist writers out there: Stop editing as you go! 

There’s a saying: Write drunk, edit sober. You’ll never reach a flow state for writing if you’re constantly going back to edit what you just wrote. 

Just keep going. Tomorrow when you’re ‘sober’ you can edit the scene you wrote.

Remember, it’s not about making the story perfect on the first run, it’s about teaching yourself the story first so you can revise it to be the best version possible.

Burning out

It may be due to work, or writing for prolonged passages of time, but you just feel exhausted. When you even think about writing, you begin to feel tired and worn.

Even if you haven’t been busy with work or writing, it could be emotional triggers in your life that have you spent. 

Writing requires a lot of energy. From ideation to outlining to writing to world-building to editing, to revising…there’s so much to do.

And they all require different amounts of energy to do. If you’re thinking up new worlds, you’re going to need tons of energy to get it done – more than you would need for line editing. 

You simply don’t have the energy for any of it.

Solution

Your cup is empty, my friend. 

You have writer’s block because you’ve poured all of yourself out for work and the people in your life. It’s time to stock back up so you have something left over for your writing.

Be kind to yourself and take a break wherever you can. 

Have to cook dinner for the kids? Ensure you rest afterward. Make sure to get enough sleep, and read or watch what you enjoy. 

Replenish your cup with little efforts that make you feel whole again, and better yet inspired and ready to be creative.

You’re not like them

Oof, this one stings the most.

If you ever want to feel like the most useless creature to have ever walked the Earth, start comparing yourself to the masters of your craft.

0/10, would not recommend it.

But as we all know, comparisons are hard not to do. It makes your imposter syndrome feel just a little extra spicy.

“I don’t belong in the same space as them.”

“Why can’t I write as fast as them?”

“My writing will never be as beautiful as theirs.”

Any of the above sound familiar?

Nothing takes the wind out of your sails faster than reading someone else’s bestseller and comparing it to your first draft. 

It makes you not want to write at all – maybe even throw an invisible block in your path to stop you from writing altogether.

Solution

It hurts, but you have to accept your differences. They’re in a different place in their lives and careers than you are. Instead, compare yourself to…yourself. 

There are 8 billion people on this planet. There’s a better writer than that person too. There’s always someone better, or more successful.

So, don’t play the comparison game. You’ll always lose.

Instead of trying to write the next Pulitzer winner, write what you enjoy reading. Write what only you could write.

What makes stories unique is the person writing them.

You deserve to be in this space because even if you’re not like them, they’re not like you.

Procrastination

With all the talk about AI and technological inventions, we forget one thing that this new age has made easier…

buzz buzz

Hang on one sec…

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scrolls for 10 minutes

Sorry, just got a notification. What were we talking about?

Ah, yes procrastination. 

It’s insanely easy to get writer’s block because of distractions and procrastinating. The pros at it can procrastinate procrastinating. 

You know who you are out there.

It’s as simple as switching on a phone, or as you saw above, having your phone pop up with notifications can lead to you doom scrolling social media.

Solution

Now, what we’re going to suggest may sound strange but it’ll help you write, we promise…

Just procrastinate. In fact, you should set time aside to do it, unapologetically. 

If you know your procrastination habits, accommodate them. If you need 1 day of staring at walls and binge-watching television. Just do it! 

Do it and acknowledge that you’re getting your playtime. But make sure when you’re done, you put your phone on Do Not Disturb and write.

But if you still find yourself procrastinating during your writing sessions, you can get book writing software that makes it easier to concentrate or even shelves your apps for your entire session.

Another suggestion we have is to put your phone in grayscale mode or bedtime mode. It grays out your screen making everything dull and boring to look at. Surprisingly it helps you lose interest in it and redirects your attention to writing.

Life circumstances

This is harder to work around.

Sometimes life situations can make writing very difficult. 

Maybe you’re a parent with a job and barely any time for yourself during a busy school period. Or maybe you have so many assignments to complete for school plus tests to study for. 

Or maybe you can’t seem to catch a break with your health.

Solution

If the walls of your life are constricting, the block in front of you might be your body saying it’s had enough for now. 

Listen to what your body and mind need and tackle your project when making time doesn’t mean leading you to burnout.

But if you can make time, then simply carve out a slot that works for you. 

If your house is a raging chaos from 8 am onwards, wake up early to get an hour of writing. Or find a quiet workspace, whether it’s a coffee shop or library, to get a couple of hours to yourself. 

Sometimes you really don’t have the capacity to write, and sometimes you’re just not making time for it.

It’s on you to figure out which one it is. 

How To Get Rid of Writer’s Block

We have a few more sustainable tips to help you overcome your writer’s block. They aren’t quick fixes but rather long-term ways for you to always figure out a way around it.

Just show up

We’re going to come right out and say it. Motivation is for chumps. So is inspiration, while we’re at it.

That spark of inspiration that fuels an entire novel is pure Hollywood nonsense. Of course, we do have ‘ah-ha’ moments while doing mundane tasks as depicted in movies.

But writing is about discipline and practice. Mr Miyagi wasn’t asking Daniel to ‘wax on, wax off’ his car in Karate Kid because he needed his car cleaned. It was to train him in the form of consistent tasks that practiced specific movements. 

Daniel was showing up with hard work to ingrain those moves into his muscles.

If you want to complete your project, you need to show up and write. 

Writing is a craft just like any other. If you dedicate time to it every day, you’ll get better at it. So, when the writing block hits, it doesn’t take you long to get out of it. Because you’ve been training for it all along.

So, here’s our concrete advice on showing up: you need a routine. Saying you’ll write 200 words a day doesn’t constitute a routine.

This is a routine: You’ll finish cooking dinner then clean the kitchen, then you’ll read over your last chapter to get into your character’s voice before you begin writing the next scene for 20 minutes.

Be honest with yourself about what will work – then make it work without excuse. If you fail to prepare, your preparations will fail you.

Productivity techniques

If you’re struggling to find a routine that breaks your writer’s block, try these productivity techniques:

2-minute rule

To break procrastination’s hold on you, decide that you’re going to write for 2 minutes. Open your document up and just commit to writing for 2 minutes. 

There’s no weight on your shoulders about this massive scene ahead of you. You just need to write for 2 minutes, that’s it! Or at least that’s what you’re telling yourself.

Most people will just keep going from there.

60-second rule

If you can’t find the motivation to even get to the 2-minute rule, try getting your writing setup ready for 60 seconds. 

You’re fooling your brain into thinking there’s no harm or hard work to come. You’re just preparing your space so there’s no stress attached. 

Then move on to the 2-minute rule.

Pomodoro technique

Set a 25-minute timer and outline your writing goal. For example, finish this scene, write this tense dialogue, get to a foreshadowing point in the plot, etc.

Then write until the timer goes off. 

Take a healthy 5-minute break (no doom scrolling!) then reset the timer and write for another 25-minute sprint.

Keep doing it until you’ve achieved your goal or until there’s nothing left for you to give.

A different type of productivity

Some days your writer’s block is a more formidable foe than others. On those days, try to be productive in a different way.

Why?

Because why would you beat yourself up for not writing if you cleared a bunch of stuff off your to-do list? You just freed some time up for tomorrow or ticked off a task that’s been nagging you for months.

It can be as simple as washing the dishes and folding laundry, cleaning out the messiest cupboard in your room, or creating ads for your books. 

Another way you can be productive is by taking up a different creative project that has nothing to do with writing. You could knit, paint, or take up wood carving.

While you’re doing these activities, you’re allowing yourself to daydream and let your mind float to different ideas that could prepare you for your next writing session.

Be silent

Just like it’s so easy to procrastinate, it’s even easier to never have a moment of quiet. 

You play music in the car, podcasts while you wash the dishes, audiobooks while you clean the house, watch videos as soon as you get home from work, etc. 

Your mind never has a moment to itself to think and be without someone else’s thoughts or noise to interrupt it. 

So, of course, when you sit down to write, your mind has no idea what to do with itself but feed into the writer’s block. 

Creative minds need space and silence to dream and imagine, uninhabited. 

We encourage you to relish the silence. Take up yoga or meditation to recenter yourself and reflect. 

A clear mind will have fewer reasons to have a blockage.

Write through the block

When writer’s block hits, you may have the urge to turn the screen off, dust your hands, and say, “Welp, I tried for today.”

But some sessions are worth powering through. Here are some tips on how you can do it:

• Stink up the place: If you feel you only have garbage to write, then write garbage. Write so badly the neighbors smell it.
• Write freely: Try freewriting, a technique that involves writing without pausing to consider spelling, grammar, structure, plot, or any logical step in writing. 
• Empty your brain onto the page: Try morning pages or journaling anything that’s on your mind so you can go into your writing session with a clean slate.
• A taste of something different: If you’re worried about stinking up your manuscript, try out some writing prompts, a short story, a new idea you’ve been thinking about, or writing a scene from another character’s perspective.

Reevaluate your plot

Let’s say you’ve tried all of the above but you’re still stuck. Keyword being stuck.

It feels like writer’s block, but it almost feels like you’re a little lost. It might be because you don’t like where the story is going, or what’s going to happen in the next scene. 

Your brain just can’t seem to gel with it. 

So, change it. If you don’t want to write what you’ve outlined to come next, it could be because it no longer works.

Go back to the drawing board and figure out a way forward that gets you excited for the plot again.

Talk to a friend

Ever been so deep inside your own mind about a story that you’re causing your own writer’s block? 

It’s time to call a friend. Or pretend you’re doing so at least.

Even for non-writing related things, keeping things bottled up inside can turn them into something it’s not. 

Explaining your story or a scene to a friend, or imagining that you are, helps you get reinvigorated for the story or spot what might be bothering you about it. 

Take a break

Finding your stride in productivity might not be the solution for you. It might be about taking a step away from your writing project.

If the words are getting blocked in the pipe and you feel like you’re going to explode if you sit there for 1 more minute, get up and go for a walk. 

Take a walk in the park, wax-on-wax-off your own car, go to a friend’s party, or do anything that gets you out of that clogged-up space. 

To fix your writer’s block you might need to put some distance between you and your work.

Take a break for 20 minutes, a day, or even a month. Whatever feels healthy for you.

Get in the mood

This is fun advice for dealing with writer’s block. Nothing gets you into the mood to create more than something that impacts you.

As we mentioned earlier, you need to refill your cup with creativity in order to do anything creative.

Now we’re giving you carte blanche to read and watch everything you love. Everything you want to learn from. Plus it gives you a hit of dopamine that re-energizes you for your writing.

That awesome TV show that everyone’s been talking about? Queue it up!

That 4-star book that’s been waiting on your list? Put it in your Amazon cart!

That movie you’ve been waiting over a year for is out in theatres? Book a seat this weekend!

Steep yourself in the content you enjoy and soak it all up like an eager sponge. Make sure to jot down your thoughts on what was done well in a notebook for later use.

Other ways to chase writer’s block are to look at your Pinterest mood boards for your story, create a playlist of music that reminds you of your work in progress, and make note of all the tropes you like in media.

Thou who shall not be named

Cure writer’s block by treating it like Voldemort. Don’t dare say it’s name.

Discredit it entirely. It doesn’t exist. It’s just a figment of your imagination. The less power you give it, the less it has over you. 

There are other obstacles hindering you that can be dealt with and resolved. It’s not some imaginary condition that’s getting in your way.

The sooner you figure out what is stopping you from writing, the quicker you can deal with it. 

Call it what it is

The last tip we’ll leave you with is simple acceptance and acknowledgment. 

Here are a few facts to accept as they are:

• Be the tortoise, not the hare: Writing isn’t a race but a marathon. Any small progress you make is still progress made. You will get there, one sentence at a time.
• You’re working towards a piece, not a whole: Every day you write, you are practicing, learning, and evolving as a writer. It’s not just about completing a draft. 
• Stories are all around you: Creativity itself can be a daunting concept, but life exists everywhere, all you have to do is watch and learn from it (then use it to create an amazing scene).
• All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy: We think you get the idea behind this one, but just in case: remember that life is about balance. Work hard and play harder, or you’ll end up swinging at a bathroom door with an ax.

Will My Writing Block Ever Truly Leave?

The answer varies from person to person. Some authors truly believe writer’s block doesn’t and never will exist for them.

But we all have obstacles that land in our path that need to be dealt with, time after time. And writing is a never-ending learning curve that feels like you’re reinventing the wheel every time you start a new book.

That’s the unfortunate, and exciting part about being an author. Every journey is a new one – and it doesn’t stop at writing either!

One other cause for writer’s block may be the thought that there’s so much more to come: finding an agent or self-publishing, marketing, connecting with readers, etc.

And we have a solution that leads to less pressure on your shoulders to get all of the above done. An author website!

It’s a must for every author who wants to be taken seriously in the space. You can promote your upcoming books, blog about your works, and have a homebase for your fans. That’s just to name a few!

We’ve designed amazing websites for all types of authors and we’ve seen it help them achieve greater heights. We’d love to do the same for you.

Fill in this inquiry form and let’s see how we can remove one more block!