writer's block in essay writing

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

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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.

What Causes Writer’s Block

What causes writer’s block: a personal example, what is writer’s block: a deeper look, overcoming writer’s block: the standard advice, overcoming writer’s block: when the standard advice isn’t working, overcoming writer’s block: directly accessing creativity, how to overcome writer’s block: working with root causes, working with writer’s block: embodiment and connection, working with writer’s block: meeting our parts, courses to help you overcome writer’s block, “why do i have writer’s block”: what causes writer’s block.

In general, writer’s block is not caused by simple problems with easy solutions, such as “being too busy” or “not having anything interesting to write about.”

In general, writer’s block is not caused by simple problems with easy solutions.

These superficial issues can seem to be causing our writer’s block, if they’re the only ready explanation at hand. But if those were the real and only causes, we could easily get rid of writer’s block with simple advice like, “Wake up earlier,” and “What interests you? Write about that.” That advice doesn’t work, because these aren’t the real causes of writer’s block.

In the 1970s, two researchers at Yale studied writer’s block , and concluded that it had four main causes:

Feeling constrained and creatively blocked by the “rules” of writing.
Seeking external validation and attention through one’s writing, and becoming disappointed and angry if not getting it.
Feeling not good enough and paralyzed by self-criticism.
Feeling afraid of having one’s writing compared with the work of others.

These sets of issues have been labeled “apathy,” “anger,” “anxiety,” and “social hostility,” but to me that has that overconfident 1970s Ron Burgundy feel to it, rather than being a useful description of these people’s inner worlds.

Whether or not these are the official four causes of writer’s block, you can see what they have in common: they reflect places where our psychology makes writing fearful or unpleasant.

Fundamentally, writer’s block occurs when an element of our psychology makes writing fearful or unpleasant.

I can share why I sometimes have writer’s block, based on what I learned in a yoga-and-writing session earlier this year with our instructor Nadia Colburn :

That agonized handwriting (getting to emote in your handwriting is a big benefit of freehand writing) reads “DESPAIR. I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY.”

Later in the session:

This reads, “I WANT TO GIVE WHAT IS PERFECT LIKE HE DID”

So, of the four options above, my issues with writer’s block are largely reasons 3 (paralyzed by self-criticism) and 4 (afraid of having my writing compared with the work of others).

In my case, “I have nothing to say” means the following: my personal interest is in spiritual writing, and I don’t feel far along enough in my own spiritual journey to be able to contribute anything the world really needs. So “Feeling not good enough and paralyzed by self-criticism” does fit the bill. “Despair” is an additional bit of what that feels like in my case.

“Like he did” refers to a personal favorite spiritual writer, whose writings feel to me like a very high bar that I don’t know if I’ll ever approach—in which case, why am I adding yet more inferior words into this world? So, “Feeling afraid of having one’s writing compared with the work of others” does fit, although in this case it would be me doing the comparing.

Let’s look at writer’s block more deeply. As we can see in my example, writer’s block is not a simple issue of needing a jolt of excitement or discipline. Instead, as The New Yorker reports in an article on writer’s block : “Many symptoms of writer’s block are the kinds of problems psychiatrists think about.”

I would say this more straightforwardly: writer’s block is a topic within mental health.

Writer’s block is a topic within mental health.

Please don’t take that the wrong way. By mental health, I mean “our level of inner well-being,” and, for all of us, it varies , for reasons . For example, although I’m great one-on-one, I am personally terrified of crowds of new people. So, depending on the situation (it varies ), I struggle with people, and those struggles are for reasons which I only partly understand. This is the kind of thing I’m referring to, and it’s the shared experience of everyone who’s ever lived.

There is still sometimes stigma around acknowledging that our minds actually do struggle. So I want to emphasize that I don’t feel that my own or anyone’s experiences of writer’s block are in any way an occasion for self-blame, shame, or stigma.

Rather, I’m simply saying that, just as our psychology can help us or hinder us in our other life pursuits—meeting friends in a new place, recovering from a career setback, and so on—it can help us or hinder us in our writing. In other words, writer’s block is about how we feel about ourselves and our world.

Writer’s block is about how we feel about ourselves and our world.

In my own case, I have no trouble writing , as far as that goes. What has tended to block me is my sense of inferiority, unreadiness, as a writer of spirituality, which I never even fully noticed until the workshop with Nadia. It’s an emotional block.

As the Yale researchers found, most experiences of writer’s block follow this theme. Writer’s block is not about writing per se , but about our feelings around writing: feeling judged by others, feeling rejected, feeling inferior, feeling stupid, feeling hunted by self-criticism, feeling stifled and oppressed, feeling alone.

Writer’s block is not about writing per se , but about our feelings around writing: feeling judged, rejected, self-critical, and so on.

The role of writing itself is simply that it triggers those feelings in some people. We’re disciplining ourselves to find words that seem worthy to write down, and then sharing those words out for others to scrutinize (or ignore!). Many parts of that process can be very heavy emotionally. If the process activates painful feelings in us so strongly that we can’t proceed, we call that writer’s block.

If writing activates painful feelings in us so strongly that we can’t proceed, we call that writer’s block.

Based on this knowledge, let’s look at some advice for overcoming writer’s block. Simple behavioral fixes really can help with writer’s block in some cases, and not in others: it depends exactly what’s causing it for you. We’ll look at different approaches below.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

The standard advice for writer’s block offers simple behavioral fixes.

The standard advice for writer’s block focuses on simple behavioral fixes and optimizations, such as:

Break your writing project into manageable chunks. For example, you can set a timer for a set number of minutes and “do nothing but write” during that time. Take refreshing breaks between sessions.
Eliminate distractions. For example, you can disable your internet access as you write.
Don’t get caught in perfectionism as you write a first draft; remind yourself that the draft doesn’t need to be perfect, or even good.
Find a physical environment and time of day where you feel most inspired and creative, and make it a habit to write there and then.
Establish a ritual around your writing. For example, you might have a particular song or drink when it’s time to write.
Do something calming (meditate, stretch) before you start writing, to soothe any anxiety you feel.

If these types of straightforward advice solve your writer’s block, that’s great: whatever its cause may have been, you’ve found a way to work with your system to move past it.

If simple fixes don’t work for you, you’ll need to change your approach.

However, if the fixes above don’t work, you’ll need to change your approach. When these behavioral fixes do try to engage the deeper causes of writer’s block—the internal challenges we discussed above—the result is advice like this :

“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.”

To my eye, this is not very curious about the writer’s inner world. It feels like ignoring calls from a collections agency one-by-one as they come in (call up one of your friends instead!), rather than figuring out what the agency wants and what to do about it.

If the standard advice for how to overcome writer’s block isn’t working for you—as it hasn’t for me—then read on.

The New Yorker article acknowledges the deeper causes of writer’s block, but describes the Yale researchers finding a moderately successful fix for writer’s block that doesn’t address those causes. The fix has to do with producing dreamlike mental images:

“These writers would sit in a dim, quiet room and contemplate a series of ten prompts asking them to produce and then describe dream-like creations. They might, for example, ‘visualize’ a piece of music, or a specific setting in nature. Afterward, they would visualize something from their current projects, and then generate a ‘dreamlike experience’ based on that project. In multiple cases, the exercises led, over time, to the alleviation of writer’s block—even in the absence of therapy… Emotional blockages did exist. But he was wrong to assume that, in order to move past them creatively, writers needed to address their emotional lives. In fact, the process could go the other way.”

I think this is valuable advice, from the following standpoint: we don’t have to heal ourselves first ; the writing itself can be healing.

We don’t have to heal ourselves first ; the writing itself can be healing.

But I find the broader implication—that, yes, you can just ignore the causes of your fear of writing by accessing your creativity directly—to still be rather ignorant.

The article expresses dismay that everyone’s mind is different: “Unhappy writers, it seemed, were unhappy in their own ways, and would require therapies tailored to address their specific emotional issues.”

The objection seems to be, “Who’s got time for that?”

“Therapy” here means “professional talk therapy”—you would need to pay for a person’s time, and there’s no guarantee it would work. Under those conditions, I suppose I agree with the objection. It still seems rather dismal.

If, after we’ve “tried everything,” our writer’s block continues to haunt and confuse us, it’s likely because we’ve been trying behavioral fixes for what is ultimately an inner, personal conflict in how we experience ourselves and our world.

If our writer’s block continues to haunt and confuse us, we’ve likely been trying behavioral fixes for a deeper inner conflict.

As an example, let’s return again to my own writer’s block. Is setting a kitchen timer and taking regular breaks really going to help me with the following dilemma: Why would I want to put more inferior words into the world?

Timed or untimed isn’t the issue, nor that I write without a set writing ritual, or with access to the internet. Again, I’ve been struggling with an emotional block, something so painful in how I feel about myself and the world that it shuts down my writing.

If we want to work with those directly, how do we do it? Read on.

Not coincidentally, I first even noticed my writer’s block directly—saw it for what it was, including its causes—in a workshop that combined the very energetic embodied practice of kundalini yoga with short episodes of freewriting.

I’ve written about the experience here , but overall I’d like to advance a few things that are extremely important to the positive result I had, both in Nadia’s description of her teaching and in my own experience:

Come Into the Body

To feel into the things we carry, we need to feel into our bodies. We as a culture are needing to come out of the rational-head-on-a-stick model we inherited, as useful as it can be.

So much of our emotional life is in the body. Our feelings are called “feelings” rather than “musings,” because we feel them, physically.

In particular, the body stores our trauma: the things that scare us for reasons we don’t understand (or, more precisely, don’t remember), which is a topic utterly relevant to writers’ block.

Our traumas, large and small, are deeply embodied. Just changing our thoughts or attitudes won’t address them, and this is why we can’t simply talk ourselves out of writer’s block.

That our traumas, large and small, are deeply embodied, and not addressable by trying just to change our thoughts or attitudes, is a finding so important that it is the title of the seminal book on trauma: The Body Keeps the Score . This is why we can’t simply talk ourselves out of writer’s block.

In Nadia’s workshop, we spent minutes just getting into full experience of our bodies, and the writing came from there. Nadia’s direct advice is as follows:

Here’s more detail on that same advice from a later workshop I attended with her: “When we’re writing we often disconnect from our body; see if you can stay connected to your body and your breath as you write, so you’re not just writing from your head, but from lower down.”

Feeling and Writing into Blocks

Nadia says, “Yoga gave me tools to unlock what my body was carrying.” This doesn’t have to be through yoga, but the idea is that writer’s block , or any other emotional-energetic block in the body, is not something to route around or ignore. Instead, it’s something to feel into, kindly.

Any energetic block in the body is not something to route around, but something to feel into, kindly.

This involves directly experiencing the energy block, in the body, as part of a gentle, embodied practice like Nadia led. Then, as you feel into the block, you can give it voice, through writing itself. The jagged handwriting I shared at the top of the article started as energy: as feelings in the body (tension in the upper stomach, constriction my throat), which then found words to express themselves. The reason the letters are so jagged is because I was allowing this energy to flow and shift, including through my hand as I wrote.

You can write into blocks to explore them, and this is an important method of letting the why of your writer’s block express itself, as happened in my case.

Blocks as an Energy Source

You’ll also find that the energy stored in emotional blocks—including writer’s block—can power your writing.

Again, writer’s block isn’t really a bland, “I can’t find cool things to write about”-type experience. Instead, it’s an “I feel like I’ll never be good enough”-type experience, or “I know I’m better than other people, and I don’t want to give them a chance to disagree by criticizing my writing”-type experience, or any of the other inner conflicts on or off the Yale researchers’ list.

All those cases have something in common: they’re very painful! There’s a lot of energy there.

When your writer’s block reveals its actual source and nature, you’ll likely have plenty to talk about.

When your writer’s block stops being a random weird thing you banish with an egg timer and a favorite cola, and reveals its actual source and nature, then it’s quite likely that you’ll have plenty to talk about. You may also have plenty of energy to do the talking, as with my jagged handwriting.

To explore any of these elements, you can look at Nadia’s teaching, or any other process that combines deep bodily awareness with writing into blocks.

I can’t do full justice to it here, but I’ve been reading a book called No Bad Parts , by Richard Schwartz, and applying its exercises in my own life. It’s changed both my perspective and my day-to-day life by an extreme amount—perhaps more than any other book I’ve ever read.

The book’s core thesis (and of the broader literature known as Internal Family Systems, IFS) is that our minds are not single but multiple: we have many “parts,” each in their own role. By the time we reach adulthood, many of these roles are stuck and confused.

Imagine a normally nice person who has “a mean streak” or “a bad side.” The idea is that that “streak” or “side” is real : it is one of many parts of that person, with its own goals, fears, and perspectives. It is not just an odd and inexplicable “habit” affecting a single, coherent individual.

How does this apply to writer’s block? Well, writer’s block is similarly “odd and inexplicable.” How could a person who loves and values creativity find their own creativity blocked? How come we keep telling ourselves to “just write it, it doesn’t matter what other people think”—and yet we never do? It just doesn’t make sense, if we’re the single, rational, straightforward unit we often assume we are.

Writer’s block happens when we can no longer silence parts of ourselves—that are bound up in shame, inferiority, craving the approval of others, fearing rejection, and so on—enough to keep writing.

After exploring the perspective in No Bad Parts (known as Internal Family Systems, IFS), it’s impossible not to see writer’s block in terms of parts of ourselves—parts that are deeply bound up in shame, inferiority, craving the approval of others, fearing rejection, and so on—feeling so much pain and conflict when we write that we cannot continue.

In general, we’ve never even noticed these parts for what they are (as I hadn’t with the energies I was voicing in Nadia’s course), let alone begun the healing process of reconnecting with them. When we can no longer silence these parts enough to keep writing, we call it “writer’s block.”

Parts Give More Detail

Working with writer’s block using this perspective is very similar to what I did in Nadia’s workshop. The only difference is looking at the conflict in my body not just as an energy, but as a part —a miniature personality. The emotional block I felt is not “my” overall sense of inferiority (which I don’t have!), but is within a system of feelings and beliefs held by a part of me.

This part feels inferior, and is in conflict with other parts of me—say, the parts that would love to write a book, or that feel that what I might have to say may not be perfect, but it is surely worth saying.

Crucially, this part, and all parts, are a friend, not an enemy. The book title says it beautifully: No Bad Parts . When a part is in pain, I don’t need to convince it otherwise, silence or distract it so I can do what must be done, or anything else aggressive, hostile, or bypass-y. I need to listen, and discover why it feels that way.

You can actually communicate with your emotional blocks—including whatever is giving you writer’s block.

The big discovery here is that you can actually communicate with your emotional blocks—including whatever is giving you writer’s block. They aren’t just energies unspooling in the body, but they have stories, fears, goals, and perspectives of their own, which you can actually learn!

That process of reconnection and discovery—which unfolds through energy moving, as happened to me in Nadia’s course—is the healing process itself. It also makes a great energy source for writing, as I mentioned above.

If you want to get into this, I strongly recommend reading No Bad Parts . Do the exercises in the first few chapters. (The book is front-loaded in the value it delivers, which is nice.) From personal experience, it has really addressed my own writer’s block.

If you do get into this, please proceed with caution: it is like opening pressurized containers, to an extent that has repeatedly surprised me. Make sure to have good supports around yourself.

Many students of ours take our classes to find community, accountability, inspiration, and other forms of support. If you’re looking for another way to tackle your writer’s block head on, take a look at these courses on embodiment and journaling:

Courses on Embodiment

Sing the Body Electric: Poetry of the Body
Telling the Stories Your Body Holds
Writing the Body: A Nonfiction Craft Seminar
Writing Chronic Illness

Journaling Courses

These Fragments: From Journal Pages to Personal Essays
Where the Diary Ends and the Essay Begins
Creating the Visual Journal
From the Source: Journaling for Self-Knowledge and Creativity

Courses for Inspiration

It Starts with Play: Get (Back) Into Writing
Finding Inspiration in Dreams

You can also take a look at our upcoming online writing courses .

Working with Writer’s Block: Final Thoughts

No one wants to suffer writer’s block. So we ask, quite understandably, “How to overcome writer’s block?” “How to get rid of writer’s block?” and so on.

On the other hand, given its actual underlying causes, trying to “cure” or “banish” or “get rid of” a severe case of writer’s block, without addressing those causes, could be a bit like looking for a trick to silence the hungry kittens in your pantry so you can get back to composing your violin sonata. Even if you succeed, the whole thing is rather sad.

In this article, I’ve given you a detailed description of the causes of writer’s block, and a lot of options for addressing it—from the simple and straightforward to the profound and weird. In general, I’d say try simple first, just on the off chance you have a mild case. If that isn’t working, get weirder, and you may find yourself healing your actual issues too.

I hope this helps you, and happy writing!

Frederick Meyer

14 comments.

Thank you so much for this article, Fred. I’m glad I’m not alone in finding the standard advice unhelpful! Very keen to explore your suggestions.

Thank you so much, Kerry! 🙂

appreciate the article.

curious if i know the writer; Frederick, did you ever spend time at a retreat center in Vermont?

Yes, same person – hi Greg, wonderful to see you! 🙂

This is unbelievably relevant to where I am in my writing journey at the moment. For me, “Feeling constrained and creatively blocked by the “rules” of writing” and “Feeling afraid of having one’s writing compared with the work of others” are contributing factoring to my own writing block. There’s so much to unpack, and this is going to take several re-reads to fully digest this. Incredibly useful – thank you Frederick!

Thank you very much, George!

The only item on your list that I suffer from, in part, is being locked by the rules of writing. Mostly my writer’s block comes from indecision and an inability to craft a story with all the elements of character description, character arc, goals, a compelling conflict and antagonist. I steer away from themes involving police procedurals and legal stuff since I know very little about them and they seem overworked in the market. But thanks for your post.

Thank you, Robert! Yes, that sounds maybe like a “how-to”/overwhelm issue rather than necessarily a deeper internal block. Or, maybe: not knowing how to proceed is causing overwhelm (I’d get overwhelmed trying to repair a motorcycle even if I was excited to), so it’s technically an emotional block, but an easy one to address since the main need is additional knowledge.

We have a self-guided course on novel writing , as well as many online courses on fiction storytelling . Have a look! We’re happy to offer specific suggestions anytime (you can just contact us through our contact page).

Thank you, Frederick, for this informative and well-written article on writer’s block. I have no doubt that once you overcome any confounding emotions, you will be able to write well and deeply on a subect as infinite and vast as spirituality.

I look forward to reading more of your writing.

Thank you so much, Rebecca! I really appreciate your encouragement. 🙂

Thank you for this article, Frederick. It is exactly what I needed to read at exactly the right moment. I’m sure I will re-read it many times in the coming weeks as I contemplate all that it holds. I always find value in the articles you write, but this one hits such a chord, I had to comment and say thanks.

Thank you so much, Carol! 🙂

The most thorough investigation into writer’s block I’ve read. I’ll be reading it again, too. Thanks, Fred!

Hi, Donna—thank you so much! 🙂

Overcoming Writer’s Block: Strategies To Keep Your Essay Flowing

11 May 2024 By Markus Reily Leave a Comment

Writer’s block is a common issue where the flow of words gets disrupted. It makes the pressure to write even more overwhelming.

It is often called the “desert seasons” of writing. During this period, ideas and words dry up. Moreover, this block grows as we focus more on it, even when we know we must write.

The longer we sit frustrated, the more likely we will not write. Strong writers need strategies to cope with writer’s block and be productive. It is essential to balance the pressure to write and the desire to be fruitful.

This post will help you understand writer’s block more deeply and find solutions to fight these situations.

Understand The Root Of Your Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a common issue among scientific writers, often stemming from various factors.

It can be attributed to difficulties in starting the writing process due to factors like the following:

Lack of focus due to digital distractions.
Fear of failure or criticism.
Lack of interest or confidence in one’s research.

Therefore, students are often advised to pause and pace before starting.

Moreover, fear of rejection and criticism can contribute to writer’s block, while perfectionism can lead to procrastination or a cycle of editing and revising.

Also, uncertainty is another common issue among scientists, who may need more training in scientific writing and help finding convincing arguments.

However, to overcome writer’s block, it is important to pinpoint and address your specific problem head-on.

Break Through Mental Blocks

Given below are some of the most effective solutions that can help you break a writer’s block and write an essay with an easy flow—

Take Breaks

It’s important to take breaks from writing to avoid writer’s block. Giving yourself distance can provide a fresh perspective and boost your mental health and creativity.

Establishing boundaries and practicing self-care can help prevent burnout, procrastination, and writer’s block.

However, if you experience a lack of creativity, it’s normal to feel insecure about your writing. Therefore, remember that writer’s block and burnout are different and can be overcome.

Try Brainstorming

This chapter provides four brainstorming methods for identifying the focus of a personal statement and crafting supporting points.

It stresses the significance of comprehending the prompt, which may be open-ended but requires detailed information about one’s interests and experiences in the field.

Additionally, it emphasizes the need to present oneself as an exceptional candidate for the program being applied to.

Brainstorming entails analyzing the prompt and gathering memories or experiences to create a persuasive personal statement.

For instance, a candidate for a master’s degree in education could begin with an anecdote about overcoming a school fight and discussing challenges that helped develop their teaching skills and passion.

Freewriting techniques, such as jotting down every idea, encourage imaginative thinking and help identify the most effective topics for a personal statement.

Set Realistic Goals

When experiencing writer’s block, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by exaggerated expectations. However, creating attainable goals may provide a sense of accomplishment and inspiration throughout the writing process.

Realistic objectives give direction, attention, and motivation, boost success chances, foster a good self-image, and break down dreams into attainable stages. They encourage resilience, adaptation, and learning from failures.

Setting goals helps to express the links between present writing projects and professional skills, overcome concerns, and gain confidence in one’s writing ability.

Moreover, it decreases organizational stress by clearly defining success and ensuring people understand their position and expectations.

Finally, goal planning is critical in both personal and professional life. It allows progress toward desired results and increases performance.

Eliminate Distractions

Distractions can impair concentration, productivity, and project beginning. To reduce distractions, disconnect electronics, tidy your desk, and set aside time for undisturbed writing.

Request respect from coworkers and family members, and set aside at least three uninterrupted hours to write.

Background noise, such as what you hear at a coffee shop, might improve concentration and creativity.

Moreover, experiments were conducted with popular TV shows, music with no words, and white noise devices.

Also, you may discover that different sorts of background noise are better suited to other jobs, such as listening to conversational podcasts while writing essays and switching to music while writing fiction. Remember to respect your time and avoid distractions when writing.

Surround Yourself With Inspiration

Creative ideas and writing activities can help you activate your imagination and overcome creative blocks.

Explore writing prompt books online groups, or create prompts to experiment with different genres, styles, and views.

Character interviews, story twists, and writing from different perspectives all help to spark your creativity and inspire you to step beyond your comfort zone.

Writer’s block can be addressed by embracing many sources of inspiration, such as books, art exhibitions, films, music, and nature.

Connecting with other authors through writing groups, workshops, conferences, and project partnerships may enhance motivation and accountability. This group reduces isolation and offers possibilities for learning and growth, resulting in a rich and real writing experience.

Use Writing Prompts

Writer’s block is a mental paralysis where one struggles to find words to write about a topic. Therefore, to break this, one can talk to a friend and write down everything they say.

In that light, writing prompts encourage interest and creative writing. They should introduce and limit the topic while providing clear instructions. You can find subject-specific writing prompts on professional essay writing platforms like IvoryResearch .

The more you write from prompts, the more ideas will come to mind, and easier words will flow.

However, don’t stress over the process, as any prompt may or may not spark an idea once you’ve gained experience.

Seek Feedback And Collaboration

Collaborating with others can be a valuable tool for students’ writing journey. It can help them analyze their writing more effectively, as it is often easier to spot flaws in a classmate’s work than to explore one’s own.

Seeking feedback from others can also improve one’s understanding of assignments and personal growth.

Collaborating with others is beneficial at every stage of the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to improving organization, style, and design of drafts. Additionally, it is a constructive step towards personal and professional development.

Criticizing student writing is often easier than analyzing published writing, and collaboration can help students improve their writing skills in a supportive and encouraging environment

Markus Reily

Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.

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?

Man struggling to write—How To Overcome 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.

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

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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!

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How to Overcome Writer’s Block in Simple Steps

Writer’s block feels like an insurmountable barrier, a frustrating impasse where you feel stuck and words refuse to flow. It’s not just a dilemma for novelists or journalists; it plagues most writers, from students to professionals.

This common challenge, however, isn’t a dead end. Overcoming writer’s block is achievable through practical techniques and mental shifts.

In this article, we’ll explore strategies that will teach you how to get rid of writer’s block.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Overcoming writer’s block often starts with tangible, actionable steps. These strategies don’t require exceptional skill, just a willingness to try new approaches. However, we first need to understand the nature and underlying causes of writer’s block.

Understanding Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a common yet complex challenge that every writer faces at some point. Writer’s block is more than just a temporary inability to start writing; it’s often a symptom of deeper issues such as fear of failure, perfectionism, or a lack of inspiration.

It can stem from internal pressures, like self-doubt, or external factors, such as unrealistic deadlines. At its core, writer’s block is a psychological hurdle where a writer cannot produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. This block can manifest in various forms, from the inability to start a new project to struggling with the existing work.

Understanding that writer’s block is a normal, albeit frustrating, part of the creative process is crucial. Acknowledging it as a common experience among writers can be comforting and is the first step toward overcoming it and making your creative juices flow.

Practical Strategies to Cure Writer’s Block

Each technique is designed to be easily implementable, offering concrete steps to get your writing back on track.

Establish a Consistent Writing Routine

Commit to a specific time each day for writing. This could be early morning, during your lunch break, or late at night, depending on when you feel most productive. Keep this time sacred and free from distractions. To make it a habit, start with just 20 minutes daily and gradually increase the duration.

Create a Conducive Writing Environment

Organize your writing space to inspire creativity. This might mean decluttering your desk, adding inspirational quotes or art, or changing your lighting to something softer or more energizing. If you prefer writing outside your home, try different locations like libraries, parks, or coffee shops to find your ideal setting.

Embrace Freewriting

Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write without pause. Don’t worry about grammar, structure, or even staying on topic. Let your thoughts flow freely. This exercise can be useful for generating ideas or overcoming the fear of a blank page. You can start with prompts like “What I want to say is…” or “The thing I find most challenging is…”.

Incorporate Regular Breaks

Implement the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused writing followed by a 5-minute break. During your break, step away from your writing space. Engage in non-writing activities like stretching, a quick walk, or a brief meditation. These short breaks can refresh your mind and improve focus.

Stimulate Your Mind with Physical Activity

Incorporate a form of physical activity into your daily routine. A 30-minute walk, a yoga session, or light stretching can invigorate your body and mind. If you find it challenging to exercise, consider integrating activities into your writing, like walking while brainstorming ideas or doing a few yoga poses during breaks.

Mindset Shifts to Combat Writer’s Block

In the battle against writer’s block, shifting your mindset can be as crucial as any practical strategy. Let’s explore how changing the way you think about writing can unlock new levels of productivity.

Embrace Imperfection

Accept that first drafts are not meant to be perfect. It’s essential to understand that initial writing aims to get ideas down on paper, not create a masterpiece immediately. By allowing yourself to write imperfectly, you lower the barriers of perfectionism that often halt progress. Encourage yourself to write freely, knowing that revision and refinement are future steps where perfection can gradually be approached.

Focus on the Process, Not Just the Product

Learn to find joy in the act of writing itself, not just in the finished piece. This shift in focus can alleviate the stress of outcomes and deadlines, allowing you to immerse yourself in the present moment of crafting your work. Celebrate small writing victories, like solving a tricky paragraph or crafting a beautiful sentence. This approach helps maintain a positive attitude towards writing, making the process more enjoyable.

Develop Resilience to Criticism

Build a mindset that views feedback as a valuable part of the writing process, not a personal attack. Cultivate the ability to separate your self-worth from your work, understanding that criticism is often aimed at improvement, not diminishment. Learning to appreciate constructive feedback provides a new perspective on your work, helping you grow as a writer. Developing a thick skin and an open mind towards criticism can transform discouraging comments into tools for personal development.

Break Down Large Projects into Smaller Tasks

Viewing a large writing project as a series of smaller, manageable tasks makes it less daunting. Breaking down a project into components like research, outlining, writing, and revising can provide a clearer path forward. This approach allows for a sense of accomplishment with each small task completed, steadily chipping away at writer’s block. It also helps organize your thoughts and manage your time more effectively, making the writing less overwhelming.

Rekindle Your Passion for Writing

Reconnect with what made you love writing in the first place. Whether reading inspiring works or recalling past writing successes, reigniting your passion can push through mental barriers. Try exploring new genres or writing styles to keep your interest fresh, or revisit old works to remember the satisfaction of completing the first draft of a piece. Sometimes, stepping back and remembering why you started writing can provide a strong motivational boost to overcome writer’s block.

Seeking External Help

While personal strategies are vital in overcoming writer’s block, sometimes the key lies in seeking external help. This section explores the various avenues through which you can find support and inspiration beyond your efforts.

Join Writing Groups or Workshops

Participating in writing groups or workshops can provide a sense of community and support. These gatherings offer a platform to share your work, receive feedback, and engage with fellow writers facing similar challenges. They can also provide accountability, helping you stay committed to your writing goals. Look for local writing groups in community centers or libraries, or join online communities where you can connect with writers globally.

Attend Literary Events and Author Talks

Immersing yourself in the broader writing community through literary events, author talks, and book readings can be incredibly inspiring. Listening to experienced authors share their journeys, challenges, and insights can offer new perspectives and motivate you to push through your block. These events often provide networking opportunities, allowing you to build connections with others in the writing community.

Seek Professional Guidance

If writer’s block persists, consider seeking professional help from a writing coach or therapist specializing in creative blocks. A writing coach can work with you to develop strategies tailored to your specific needs and challenges, offering guidance to help you move forward. If your writer’s block is deeply rooted in anxiety or other psychological barriers, a therapist can help address these underlying issues.

Utilize Online Resources and Forums

The internet is a treasure trove of resources such as communities and finding the right writing tool. Online forums, writing blogs, and websites offer tips, prompts, and advice from experienced writers and editors. Engaging in these online communities provides help and ensures you feel less isolated when a few sentences away from a finished paper.

Collaborate with Peers

Sometimes, collaborating with another writer helps overcome writer’s block. Joint projects or co-writing sessions can spark creativity, offering a fresh perspective on your work. Collaboration with professional writers also brings a sense of shared responsibility and can be fun to re-engage with the writing process.

Inspiration Boosters to Beat Writer’s Block

Writer’s block often dissipates when new sources of inspiration and creativity enter our orbit. This section explores various ways to reignite your creative spark and find inspiration for your writing.

Read Widely & Diversely

Dive into various literary genres and styles and learn more about famous writers. Reading outside your comfort zone can introduce you to new ideas, perspectives, and writing tools that can spark your creativity and cure writer’s block. Whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or even technical writing, each style offers unique insights and ways of thinking that can rejuvenate your writing.

Use Writing Prompts and Challenges

Writing prompts and challenges can jumpstart your creativity by providing a starting point or a specific focus. These can range from single words or phrases to complex scenarios. Participate in writing challenges like NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) or use writing prompt apps to keep your creative juices flowing.

Explore Other Forms of Art to Get Past Writer’s Block

Art, music, and cinema can be profound sources of inspiration. Visit a museum, attend a concert, or watch a thought-provoking film. Different art forms can stimulate your senses and emotions, often leading to unexpected ideas for your writing.

Engage in Mindful and Reflective Practices

Practices like meditation, journaling, or even long walks in nature can provide mental clarity. These activities allow you to reflect and process thoughts and emotions, often leading to breakthroughs in your writing.

Travel and Experience New Cultures

If possible, travel to new places or immerse yourself in different cultures. These experiences can broaden your horizons, offer new settings and characters for your stories, and provide a wealth of sensory details to enrich your writing.

Connect with Nature to Overcome Writer’s Block

Spending time in nature is a powerful strategy for many writers who have trouble writing. If you don’t know how to get rid of writer’s block, the beauty of the natural environment can provide a peaceful backdrop for imagination. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a hike in the mountains, or just sitting by a lake, nature can be a great source of inspiration.

Leveraging Technology to Boost Creativity

In an era where technology intertwines with almost every aspect of our lives, it can be a powerful ally in overcoming writer’s block. This section will explore how various digital tools and applications can enhance your writing, offering innovative ways to maintain productivity.

Digital Writing Tools

Digital tools like Scrivener, Google Docs, and Microsoft Word offer more than just word processing; they provide organizational and structural features tailored for writers. Squibler excels in organizing complex writing projects, allowing you to rearrange sections and keep notes and research.

It’s a perfect AI tool for fiction writing that creates new content or wraps up existing drafts. Create characters, items, and scenes as elements that Squibler uses to create tailored, fictional content.

Google Docs is a different writing tool that offers the convenience of cloud-based writing, accessible from any device, encouraging flexibility in where and when you write.

Idea Generation Apps

Apps such as MindNode, Evernote, or Trello can be instrumental in brainstorming and putting your best ideas together. MindNode is excellent for visual mind mapping, helping you visually plot out ideas and how they interconnect. Evernote is a digital notebook, perfect for jotting down thoughts, snippets of dialogue, or descriptions whenever inspiration strikes.

Trello can track different stages of a writing project, from initial ideas to completed chapters, keeping you organized and focused.

Squibler’s Generate and Ask Me Anything tools are another great way to fill in the blanks in your writing. Let’s say you want to add more description to your surroundings or drama to a dialogue. Squibler has dedicated tools for both and other situations.

Distraction Blockers

Distraction-blocking tools like Freedom, Cold Turkey, or LeechBlock help maintain focus by blocking distracting websites and apps during your writing time. These tools are invaluable for writers who are easily distracted by the internet and social media.

Writing Prompts and AI Assistance

Online resources offer writing prompts that kickstart your creativity when you’re having a creative block. Websites like Writing Prompts, Tumblr, or r/WritingPrompts provide many scenarios to inspire new stories. AI writing assistants can help generate ideas, suggest story directions, or even help with writing blocks by providing written examples based on your prompts.

Again, Squibler arms you with the necessary AI tools when facing writer’s block, but you want to wrap up the chapter for your next novel.

Harnessing the Power of Writing Rituals

Writing rituals can transform the daunting task of facing a blank page into a welcoming routine. This section explores how personalized rituals can establish a conducive writing mindset, enhancing creative flow and productivity.

Personalized Rituals

Creating personalized rituals before writing sessions can set the tone for a productive workflow. These rituals could be as simple as brewing a favorite cup of tea or coffee, arranging your workspace, or lighting a scented candle. The key is consistency; these small acts signal to your brain that it’s time to focus and write. Over time, these rituals become ingrained, turning the act of writing into a more automatic and less daunting process.

Mindfulness Practices

Incorporating mindfulness practices into your writing routine can significantly aid in clearing mental clutter. Practices like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or a short mindfulness session before writing can help center your thoughts, allowing you to approach your writing with a calm and focused mind. These techniques are particularly useful for writers who struggle with anxiety or overthinking, common contributors to writer’s block.

Pre-writing Routines

Engaging in pre-writing routines helps transition your mind into writing mode. This could involve reading a few pages of a book, free-writing in a journal, or reviewing notes and outlines for your current project. These activities warm up your creative muscles, making diving into the more focused task of writing your manuscript or article easier.

Setting the Scene

The physical environment where you write affects how effectively you can work. Tailoring your surroundings to be inviting and distraction-free can enhance your writing experience. This might mean a clean, organized desk, a comfortable chair, optimal lighting, or background music that helps you concentrate. A well-set environment boosts your mood and supports concentration.

Reflective Writing

End your writing sessions with a short period of reflective writing. Take a few minutes to jot down what you accomplished, any challenges you faced, and how you feel about the writing session. This practice helps you acknowledge your progress, understand your writing patterns, and adjust for future sessions.

Balancing Writing with Other Pursuits

Engaging in diverse creative activities can provide a respite from writing and enrich your storytelling abilities. This section explores how balancing writing with other forms of creativity can spark inspiration and offer fresh perspectives to anyone with writer’s block.

Cross-Creativity Benefits

Pursuing different art forms, such as painting, music, or digital design, can stimulate your brain in new ways and help you eliminate writer’s block. These activities encourage you to think differently, often leading to innovative ideas that can be translated into your writing. For instance, the color and texture in painting can inspire vivid descriptions, while the rhythm and structure in music can influence the flow of your narrative.

Stories from Other Mediums

Immersing yourself in stories told through different mediums, like films, theater, or video games, provides new storytelling techniques. Analyzing how a film builds tension, a play develops characters, or a video game creates immersive worlds can offer valuable insights. This exposure broadens your understanding of narrative and can inspire innovative ways to approach your writing.

Physical Movement to Cure Writer’s Block

Physical activities like dance, yoga, or crafting can enhance mental clarity and idea generation. These activities involve different skills and brain functions, offering a mental break from writing while fostering a creative mindset. Physical movement, in particular, has been shown to boost cognitive function.

Culinary Creativity

Exploring culinary arts is another avenue for creative expression that can positively impact your writing. Cooking requires imagination, experimentation, and understanding of ingredients, like constructing a story. The sensory experiences involved in cooking – taste, smell, texture – can also inspire descriptive, sensory-rich writing.

Integrating Creative Pursuits into Daily Life

Make creativity a regular part of your life, not just something you do when you’re away from writing. Simple activities like doodling, photography, or DIY home projects keep your creative juices flowing. Regular engagement in such tasks keeps your mind active and open to new ideas, benefiting your writing practice.

Beyond the Writer’s Block

As we draw this exploration of writers block up to a close, it’s clear that writer’s block, while challenging, is not insurmountable. The strategies and insights shared here offer a roadmap to navigate through and beyond these creative impasses.

In this journey, we’ve uncovered that overcoming writer’s block is more about practical techniques than mental shifts. From establishing a writing schedule and embracing freewriting to seeking external support and finding new sources of inspiration, each approach plays a role in reigniting the creative spark. It’s important to remember that writer’s block is a common experience and, most importantly, a temporary one. The key lies in experimenting with different methods, being patient with yourself, and understanding that every writer’s path to overcoming these obstacles is unique.

Let these strategies guide and encourage you as you continue your writing journey. Embrace the ebb and flow of the creative process and know that each hurdle, like writer’s block, is an opportunity for growth.

Published in Writing

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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.

Writer’s block can be scary, but it can be beaten with a little ingenuity and inspiration.

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.)

Writer’s block happens when our writing faucet is backed up.

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.

Some writers are so afraid of failure, they never start writing at all.

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 .

Remember: YOU are in charge of your writing, and writer’s block can’t take that away.

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.

The best defence against an artistic block is to simply start writing—even if it isn’t any good at first.

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.

Small, obtainable goals are the way to achieve bigger 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.

A time limit or set schedule might help you overcome writer’s block.

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.

Try doing some brainstorming about the main characters of your novel. What you learn might surprise you.

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.

You can start your work in progress anywhere you find inspiration.

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.

Could Comic Sans be the secret weapon to getting ahead?

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.

Make sure your work area is somewhere you want to spend a lot of time in.

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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How to Beat Writer’s Block

By Maria Konnikova

Graham Greene kept a dream journal to help ward off writers block.

In 1920, a sixteen-year-old Graham Greene decided that, after “104 weeks of monotony, humiliation, and mental pain,” he could no longer remain at Berkhamsted, the prep school where he was enrolled. He fled, leaving behind a note of resignation for his parents—his father was the school’s headmaster—, and was discovered on the heath soon after. The escape proved so troubling to his family that it led to a six-month stint in psychotherapy. It was a fortuitous turn in Greene’s life. He got a break from the school he dreaded and acquired a habit that would prove crucial to his life as a writer: Greene began keeping a dream journal, to help him channel his mental distress in a more productive direction.

For anyone familiar with Greene’s prolific output, it’s hard to believe that he could ever suffer from writer’s block. But, in his fifties, that’s precisely what happened—he faced a creative “blockage,” as he called it, that prevented him from seeing the development of a story or even, at times, its start. The dream journal proved to be his savior. Dream journaling was a very special type of writing, Greene believed. No one but you sees your dreams. No one can sue you for libel for writing them down. No one can fact-check you or object to a fanciful turn of events. In the foreword to “A World of My Own,” a selection of dream-journal entries that Greene selected, Yvonne Cloetta, Greene’s mistress of many years, quotes Greene telling a friend, “If one can remember an entire dream, the result is a sense of entertainment sufficiently marked to give one the illusion of being catapulted into a different world . . . . One finds oneself remote from one’s conscious preoccupations.” In that freedom from conscious anxiety, Greene found the freedom to do what he otherwise couldn’t: write.

Writer’s block has probably existed since the invention of writing, but the term itself was first introduced into the academic literature in the nineteen-forties, by a psychiatrist named Edmund Bergler. For two decades, Bergler studied writers who suffered from “neurotic inhibitions of productivity,” in an attempt to determine why they were unable to create—and what, if anything, could be done about it. After conducting multiple interviews and spending years with writers suffering from creative problems, he discarded some of the theories that were popular at the time. Blocked writers didn’t “drain themselves dry” by exhausting their supply of inspiration. Nor did they suffer from a lack of external motivation (the “landlord” theory, according to which writing stops the moment the rent is paid). They didn’t lack talent, they weren’t “plain lazy,” and they weren’t simply bored. So what were they?

Bergler was trained in the Freudian school of psychoanalysis, and that background informed his approach to the problem. In a 1950 paper called “Does Writer’s Block Exist?,” published in American Imago , a journal founded by Freud in 1939, Bergler argued that a writer is like a psychoanalyst. He “unconsciously tries to solve his inner problems via the sublimatory medium of writing.” A blocked writer is actually blocked psychologically—and the way to “unblock” that writer is through therapy. Solve the personal psychological problem and you remove the blockage. This line of thinking is fine, as far as it goes, but it’s frustratingly vague and full of assumptions. How do you know that writers are using their writing as a means of sublimation? How do you know that all problems stem from a blocked psyche? And what is a blocked psyche, anyway?

As it turns out, though, Bergler’s thinking wasn’t far off the mark. In the nineteen-seventies and eighties, the Yale University psychologists Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios tried to gain a more empirically grounded understanding of what it meant to be creatively blocked. They recruited a diverse group of writers—fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, print, stage, and screen—some of whom were blocked and some of whom were fine. The blocked writers had to fit a set of pre-determined criteria: they had to present objective proof of their lack of writing progress (affirming, for example, that they had made no progress on their main project) and attest to a subjective feeling of being unable to write. The symptoms had to have lasted for at least three months.

Barrios and Singer followed the writers’ progress for a month, interviewing them and asking them to complete close to sixty different psychological tests. They found, unsurprisingly, that blocked writers were unhappy. Symptoms of depression and anxiety, including increased self-criticism and reduced excitement and pride at work, were elevated in the blocked group; symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, such as repetition, self-doubt, procrastination, and perfectionism, also appeared, as did feelings of helplessness and “aversion to solitude”—a major problem, since writing usually requires time alone.

Not all unhappy writers were created equal, however. They fell, Barrios and Singer discovered, into four general types. In one group, anxiety and stress dominated; to them, the main impediment to writing was a deep emotional distress that sapped the joy out of writing. In another group, unhappiness expressed itself interpersonally, through anger and irritation at others. A third group was apathetic and disengaged, while a fourth tended to be angry, hostile, and disappointed—their emotions were strongly negative, as opposed to merely sad. These differences would turn out to be consequential. Different kinds of unhappy writers, Barrios and Singer discovered, are blocked differently.

There are some experiences that almost all blocked writers have in common. Almost all of them experience flagging motivation; they feel less ambitious and find less joy in writing. They’re also less creative. Barrios and Singer found that blocked individuals showed “low levels of positive and constructive mental imagery”: they were less able to form pictures in their minds, and the pictures they did form were less vivid. They were less likely to daydream in constructive fashion—or to dream, period.

The surprise was that these motivational and creative shortfalls expressed themselves differently for the different kinds of unhappy writers. The first, more anxious group felt unmotivated because of excessive self-criticism—nothing they produced was good enough—even though their imaginative capacity remained relatively unimpaired. (That’s not to say that their imaginations were unaffected: although they could still generate images, they tended to ruminate, replaying scenes over and over, unable to move on to something new.) The second, more socially hostile group was unmotivated because they didn’t want their work compared to the work of others. (Not everyone was afraid of criticism; some writers said that they didn’t want to be “object[s] of envy.”) Although their daydreaming capacity was largely intact, they tended to use it to imagine future interactions with others. The third, apathetic group seemed the most creatively blocked. They couldn’t daydream; they lacked originality; and they felt that the “rules” they were subjected to were too constrictive. Their motivation was also all but nonexistent. Finally, the fourth, angry and disappointed group tended to look for external motivation; they were driven by the need for attention and extrinsic reward. They were, Barrios and Singer found, more narcissistic—and that narcissism shaped their work as writers. They didn’t want to share their mental imagery, preferring that it stay private.

In one sense, Barrios and Singer’s findings echoed Bergler’s theories. They discovered that many symptoms of writer’s block are the kinds of problems psychiatrists think about. Unhappy writers, it seemed, were unhappy in their own ways, and would require therapies tailored to address their specific emotional issues. Barrios and Singer weren’t psychiatrists, however—they were psychologists. They decided to continue their work by studying the aspect of writer’s block that could be measured experimentally: the vividness and directionality of mental imagery.

The duo proposed a simple intervention: exercises in directed mental imagery. While some of the blocked writers met in groups to discuss their difficulties, Barrios and Singer asked others to participate in a systematic protocol designed to walk them through the production of colorful mental images. These writers would sit in a dim, quiet room and contemplate a series of ten prompts asking them to produce and then describe dream-like creations. They might, for example, “visualize” a piece of music, or a specific setting in nature. Afterward, they would visualize something from their current projects, and then generate a “dreamlike experience” based on that project. The intervention lasted two weeks.

It proved relatively successful. Writers who’d participated in the intervention improved their ability to get writing done and found themselves more motivated and self-confident. The exercise didn’t cure writer’s block across the board, but it did seem to demonstrate to the creatively stymied that they were still capable of creativity. (Greene’s dream diaries did much the same for him.) In multiple cases, the exercises led, over time, to the alleviation of writer’s block—even in the absence of therapy. Bergler, it seems, was partly right: emotional blockages did exist. But he was wrong to assume that, in order to move past them creatively, writers needed to address their emotional lives. In fact, the process could go the other way. Addressing the creative elements alone appeared to translate into an alleviation of the emotional symptoms that were thought to have caused the block in the first place, decreasing anxiety and increasing self-confidence and motivation. Therapy didn’t unblock creativity; creative training worked as a form of therapy.

It may be that learning to do creative work of any kind—not just direct imagery exercises—may help combat writer’s block. Scott Barry Kaufman, a psychologist who is the scientific director of the Imagination Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a co-author of “Wired to Create,” says, “When one feels writer’s block, it’s good to just keep putting things down on paper—ideas, knowledge, etc.” In 2009, Kaufman co-edited a volume called “The Psychology of Creative Writing”; during that process, he became convinced that allowing for error—and realizing how nonlinear a process creativity can be—was an essential step for overcoming blocks in writing. “I think one must trust the writing process. Understand that creativity requires nonlinearity and unique associative combinations,” he says. “Creative people do a lot of trial and error and rarely know where they are going exactly until they get there.”

That, in the end, seems to be the main message of research into writer’s block: It’s useful to escape from external and internal judgment—by writing, for instance, in a dream diary, which you know will never be read—even if it’s only for a brief period. Such escapes allow writers to find comfort in the face of uncertainty; they give writers’ minds the freedom to imagine, even if the things they imagine seem ludicrous, unimportant, and unrelated to any writing project. Greene once had the following dream:

I was working one day for a poetry competition and had written one line—‘Beauty makes crime noble’—when I was interrupted by a criticism flung at me from behind by T.S. Eliot. ‘What does that mean? How can crime be noble?’ He had, I noticed, grown a moustache.

In real life, having your poetry criticized by T.S. Eliot could cause you to doubt your poetic gifts. But imagining it in a dream has the opposite effect. That dream could become the source for a story. And, at a minimum, it serves as a reminder that, no matter how blocked you may be, you still have the capacity to imagine something new—no matter how small and silly it may seem.

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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.

How to cure writers block - Lao Tzu - StudioBinder

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

Free Seinfeld Script: "The Switch" →
Download the La La Land Screenplay for Free →
FREE Pulp Fiction Screenplay →

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 →
How To Write The Best Character Arc with Examples →
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.

Read More: How To Become a Writer →
Read More: 30 Ways to brainstorm short film ideas →
Download: A FREE Story Outline Template →

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 →
How to Brainstorm Short Film Ideas →
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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Writing a Paper: Writer's Block

Writing is a process, not a singular event. It is rarely an automatic occurrence and requires diligence, creativity, and practice. If you feel lost in the process of research, take a look at our strategies for critical reading and note taking. If you are stuck, here are tips for helping you put words onto the page.

Before you begin writing, take 20 min to construct a thesis statement with some of our prewriting strategies. Taking the time to prepare will give you direction and focus. A blank page does not mean that you are searching for the right word or words to begin your essay; it often means that you have no plan. As a scholarly writer, you should show up to your paper or computer full of information you have found in your research. Your goal is to compile a wide and deep knowledge base from which your own ideas will flow.

Find a Suitable Environment

Turn off your internal editor, write nonstop for a set period.

Find a timer or stopwatch, and set it for 1 min. Then, like a sprinter, type or hand-write nonstop until the time is up. Even if you type the letter A over and over again, you are still typing something! You are still defeating the blank page. Next, set the timer for 2 min, then 5 min, and repeat the process, with 1-min breaks in between. Soon enough, you will be surprised by what you see on the page!

Set Realistic Goals

Sometimes the blank pages in front of you can be incredibly intimidating—especially if you know that you are required to fill 25 of them. Rather than tackling the entire paper in one sitting, set goals for yourself. Setting goals will help you to work at a reasonable pace and form the paper in increments and pieces. Set time goals, such as these:

I will freewrite for 5 min.
I will work on the body paragraphs for 2 hr today.
I will complete my outline by Friday.
I will finalize my thesis statement by 3 p.m. today.

Hold yourself accountable to your goals.

Giving yourself a break (whether for 10 min, an hour, a day or two) will help clear your mind and make your words appear fresh on the page. Some ideas need time to develop without conscious thought—not all time spent away from the computer is unproductive time!

Change Perspective

Bounce ideas off classmates, friends, or family members. Ask general questions to people who are familiar with your topic. What seems important to them? What background, terms, or other ideas will they need to know in order to understand your message? Do they disagree with your argument or the points you make? If so, why?

Summarize your own work. In the margins of your paper (or using comment bubbles), write a one-sentence summary of the purpose of each paragraph. Review your summaries to get a clearer idea of your direction, the overall flow of the paper, and how far you still need to go.

Take another look. Ask yourself a few questions:

Is this information necessary?
Does it add to my argument?
What message am I trying to convey?
Are these ideas contributing to that message?
What ideas could I be missing?

When in doubt, read more on your topic—it is never a bad idea to go back to your sources and expand your knowledge when you are trying to work your way out of writer’s block.

Freewriting Video

Note that this video was created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

Prewriting Demonstrations: Freewriting (video transcript)

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Conquering Writer's Block

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Conquering Writer's Block

Why do we get writer's block .

Our papers seem so big and overwhelming that we are afraid to start. We procrastinate, thinking the assignment is too huge to ever complete. Remember, the largest journey begins with a single step.

We become so overcome by anxiety that we can't even sit down to start the paper.

Lack of Self Confidence

We are afraid our intellectual and creative abilities aren't up to the task at hand, and are therefore afraid to see the results of what we can come up with. Remember, writing is a process. There's always another draft, and another chance to improve our writing.

Strategies for beating Writer's Block:

Sit down and write whatever comes to mind. Set a time limit for yourself, fifteen minutes, an hour, two hours, etc. Don't leave your computer until you've finished this time period. You can do the same thing with page limits. Let yourself freewrite for two pages, five pages, or ten. Don't worry about grammar, organization, or "sounding smart." Just write.

Write or Post-It note flag in your text as you read. Mark rhetorical devices, important passages, and ideas that interest you. Remember, no one has to see this but you.

Write down all of your ideas on a piece of paper. It can help to circle them in order to separate them out. Then, draw lines between the ideas that connect. Think of it as connecting the dots. Try to find connections between ideas that aren't so obviously connected. Sometimes, exploring the relationship between ideas that don't seem to relate at first can be paper-writing gold.

Index Cards

Write down all of your ideas and important textual evidence on index cards. Lay them out on the floor, a desk, or a table. Try rearranging them in different ways to see which ideas go together.

Keep it simple. Just start writing

Just begin to write your paper. Don't worry if your ideas seem simple at first. They will become more complex as you begin to write. Remember that ideas will come to you as you write. You don't have to plan them out in your head before you start.

Bribe/Reward Yourself

Bribe yourself with rewards for writing. What nice thing can you do for yourself after writing two pages? Five pages? Your whole paper? Let yourself have that hot shower, long walk, bar of chocolate, date for coffee, or anything else that you want and feel will motivate you. Be proud of even the smallest accomplishment.

Talk over your paper with a friend, professor, or writing tutor

Sometimes, we get our best ideas simply by talking things over with another person.

Holistic Approach

Eating well, drinking water, sleeping enough, and exercising are very important to have our minds functioning at the top of their abilities. You'll be amazed at the surge in your creativity after a good night's sleep or a jog. Focus on mental health as well. Try meditation or keeping a journal. Develop a strong support network of friends and family. Consider seeing a counselor if you are emotionally distressed. Keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle can make all the difference in the world.

Some Inspirational Quotes on Writing:

"The most enviable writers are those who, quite often un-analytically and unconsciously, have realized that there are different facets to their nature and are able to live and work with now one, now the other ..." — Dorothea Brande

"What we call procrastination might well be incubation, and the importance of prewriting--sorting things through, assimilating, making connections ..." — Henriette Ann Klauser

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." — Will Rogers

"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." — George S. Patton

"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." — Robert Frost

"When I sit at my table to write, I never know what it's going to be until I'm under way. I trust in inspiration, which sometimes comes and sometimes doesn't. But I don't sit back waiting for it. I work every day." — Alberto Moravia

"Writing energy is like anything else: The more you put in, the more you get out." — Richard Reeves

"Success comes before work only in the dictionary." — Anonymous

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Aristotle

"The harder you work, the luckier you get." — Gary Player

"It's always too early to quit." — Norman Vincent Peale

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." — Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." — Malcolm Forbes

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." — William Feather

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." — Calvin Coolidge

Kate Willett

Student Learning Center, University of California, Berkeley

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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Writing is never a smooth process, and most successful writing proceeds in fits and starts. Writer’s block refers to those greater-than-ordinary blockages. It occurs when a writer feels truly stuck and unable to write. There are many possible causes, including anxiety, stress, or a simple lack of understanding of the material. Below are some common causes of writer’s block, with some potential solutions. Do not forget that if you have access to a writing centre, probably the best way to work through writer’s block is to meet with a writing centre instructor.

Are you having trouble understanding the assignment? You can gain a better understanding of the assignment through a combination of outside help and self-help:

When the instructor gives out an assignment, ask questions about anything that you find new or confusing. If you have questions, chances are that other students do too.
Most assignments use keywords that will help you figure out what you are expected to do. Look for keywords and phrases such as analyse , discuss , argue , compare , and provide evidence .

Have you done enough research? If you don’t know what to write about, you may need to do more research or review the research you have already done:

Go to the library and speak with a librarian about finding materials on your topic and specific to the discipline.
Go back and reread key passages from your research materials. After reading, make notes on key ideas or potential pieces of evidence. Write in your own words so that you engage more fully with the material. Be sure to jot down any of your own ideas as well.

Have you done too much research? Sometimes if you’ve done a lot of reading on a particular subject, beginning to write can be overwhelming. See if either of the following two strategies helps focus your thinking:

Come up with a narrow research question that you can reasonably answer within the assigned word count. This question should help you discard materials that are beyond the scope of the paper.
Put the notes aside and ask yourself, what are the essential points to make about the topic? When you gather a lot of notes, you can easily become lost in all of the detail.

Do you have a topic? In many of your courses, you must narrow down a topic or even create your own. This challenging task can make getting started tricky. Try these suggestions:

Be sure that you have a specific topic. If you try to write on a topic that is too general or too vague, you will probably struggle.
Use course materials to help you generate or refine your topic. Reread lecture notes or readings in areas that you find interesting or that relate to the assigned topic. Look at the bibliographies of course readings to help you discover possible research directions.
Talk about your ideas. Have a conversation with a friend or another student in your class. Speak with your instructor about how to proceed with any thoughts you might already have for the assignment. Make an appointment at the Writing Centre. Sometimes discussing your ideas with another person can help you to clarify them.
Try a mind-mapping exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down your topic, or idea for a topic, in the centre of the page. In the surrounding space, write down any related ideas from class materials and research. Now, look at this mind map and take note of any interesting connections. Cross out any unrelated areas. Use the mind map to help create an essay outline or a research plan.

Have you written a paper in this genre before? It can be hard to get started on a piece of writing when it’s in an unfamiliar genre or discipline. For example, if you’re used to writing lab reports, you might not know how to get started on a thesis-driven essay. To solve this problem, find out the conventions for this type of writing in this particular discipline:

Check the course and department websites for examples or explanations. This site provides a number of useful advice files on specific genres: e.g., The Book Review or Article Critique , Writing an Annotated Bibliography , The Literature Review , The Comparative Essay , Writing about History , Writing in the Sciences , and The Lab Report .
Seek guidance from your professor or TA.
Look for handbooks and guides on how to write in specific disciplines.

Are you worried about sounding smart enough? It’s normal to have trouble expressing your ideas in the early drafts of a paper. Here are tips to avoid paralyzing yourself unnecessarily:

Don’t try to use unfamiliar words to sound smart, and don’t convince yourself that your readers want you to do so. Focus on getting your ideas down simply and clearly.
Just get something down on the page! Try a free-writing exercise. Open up a new Word document and turn off your computer screen. Set a timer for five minutes. Start writing about whatever comes into your mind on the topic. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuation, and don’t stop writing. After five minutes, look at what you’ve written. Ignore grammar or spelling problems. Instead, look for any important or recurring ideas.
Leave plenty of time for revising and editing. Once you have your ideas formulated in a draft, you can work on combining some of your simple sentences into more complex ones. You can also improve your word choice and, if necessary, make the overall tone more formal or academic by eliminating inappropriate colloquialisms and relying on key terms in your discipline.

Do you find introductions difficult to write? Even very experienced writers often find the introduction to be the hardest part of a paper. The best remedies relieve the pressure of having to come up with the ideal introduction before moving on to the body:

Write the introduction last. This approach may sound radical, but once you’ve written your paper, you will have a better sense of exactly what you need to introduce. Most of us were taught to write a paper from beginning to end, but research shows that many people don’t think most effectively this way. Don’t be afraid to start writing with what you know, even if it is something that you plan to deal with in a body paragraph. A writing plan, outline, or focus statement is still a good idea, but you don’t need to write the introduction first.
Write the introduction quickly. If you find it impossible to write the paper unless the earliest draft begins with an introduction, then write one just to get going. But don’t waste time on it or expect it to be perfect. Come back to it after you have completed the body, and then rewrite it.

Is outside stress distracting you from your academic work? Everybody has a life outside school, and sometimes outside responsibilities and stress can prevent you from focusing on writing. Learning new study habits can make a big difference:

Try time-management strategies that allow you to set aside separate time for school work and for other obligations. When you are writing, work somewhere quiet where you cannot be interrupted, turn off your cell phone, and stay off email and the Internet.
Take a break. If you are exhausted, you’re unlikely to be productive. Take a nap, go for a walk, or have a snack. Often time away from an essay allows you to gain perspective or generate fresh ideas.

How to Overcome Writer's Block: Tips to Help You Get Writing Again

Writing is an important skill to have, but sometimes it can feel like an impossible task. Writer's block can feel like a roadblock on the path to success, leaving you feeling stuck and unable to move forward. But there are ways to overcome this challenge and get writing again.

In this article, our custom essay writing services will guide you on what writer's block is, its causes and effects, and provide helpful tips on how to overcome writer's block. We also discuss self-care practices that will help you get back into a writing routine as well as ideas for seeking support from others when needed. So don't let writer's block stop you - read on for some useful advice that will help you write your way out of it!

Meanwhile, you can always drop us your ' write my essays ' request anytime!

Understanding Writer's Block: What is Writer's Block and What Causes It?

So, what is writer's block anyways? It is an all-too-common condition experienced by many writers of all levels and styles. It can be a frustrating and disheartening experience that leaves you feeling stuck and unable to move forward with your work. Fortunately, understanding what writer's block is, the various types of it, and the potential causes can help you take steps on how to get rid of writer's block.

What Causes Writer’s Block?

People get it for a variety of reasons. Most sources online, from bloggers to psychologists, have boiled it down to the following list. Let's look at all the reasons why you have writer's block in the first place and what you can do about them.

Writer's block exists in many forms, from mild anxiety about starting a project to complete paralysis when attempting to write anything at all. One may wonder what causes writer's block. Well, it may be triggered by perfectionism, fear of failure, lack of confidence or clarity around the writing prompt or assignment, or simply procrastination. The mental effects of writer's block can range from mild frustration to severe depression and despair; physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches may also occur.

Lifestyle choices can also play a role in exacerbating writer's block. Procrastination can lead to feelings of guilt or inability to focus on tasks; lack of self-care practices such as exercise or meditation can contribute to feelings of stress and overwhelm; unrealistic expectations such as striving for perfection or writing large amounts in a short amount of time are often unhelpful when tackling writing projects.

Self-reflection and self-care are essential components in managing writer's block. Taking some time out for yourself will help you gain perspective on your goals, identify any underlying issues causing your blocks, and make necessary changes so that they don't get in the way again. Practicing self-care activities such as taking regular breaks from work, exercising regularly, eating healthy meals, meditating, or journaling will also help keep your mind free from distractions so that you can focus on achieving your writing goals more easily.

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Strategies for How to Get Rid of Writer's Block

What to do when you have writer's block? Fortunately, there are a number of strategies when wondering how to get over writer's block and get back on track with your writing projects. By understanding the causes of writer's block and implementing these strategies, you will be better equipped to overcome this obstacle and continue writing with confidence.

The first step when unsure how to get out of writer's block is to create an environment conducive to writing. This means setting aside a specific space and time for writing, free from distractions such as phones, TVs, and other devices. If possible, try to write at the same place and time each day, as this will help establish a routine and make it easier to stay focused on your task. Additionally, having access to natural light or fresh air can also help keep you alert and focused.
Another effective strategy for overcoming writer's block is breaking down big tasks into smaller ones. Writing can often seem overwhelming when looking at the project as a whole; breaking it down into bite-sized chunks makes it more manageable and helps reduce stress levels while working on it. Additionally, setting realistic goals with achievable deadlines is essential in keeping you motivated throughout the writing process.
Finally, taking short breaks throughout the day can help refocus your mind if you find yourself feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your task. A brief walk outside or a few minutes of stretching can help clear your mind and give you the energy needed to continue working productively. Taking regular breaks also allows for self-reflection, which provides insight into why certain parts of your work are challenging; identifying these obstacles allows you to better address them in future tasks.

Overcoming Writer's Block with Prioritizing Self-Care

Taking time for yourself is essential in your writing schedule in order to stay productive and motivated when dealing with obstacles such as writer's block.

For starters, a regular sleep routine will ensure that you are well-rested and able to focus on your writing tasks. Additionally, it can be beneficial to incorporate physical activity into your day, like going for a run or walk, as this helps reduce stress levels. Limiting the use of media and social media can also help minimize distractions.

In addition to physical activities, incorporating creative hobbies into your day may offer relief from writer's block by boosting creativity and productivity. Taking regular breaks throughout the day is also important in order to keep one's energy up and avoid burnout due to overworking.

Ultimately, if you find that these strategies aren't working for you, don't hesitate to reach out for support from family or friends who may have helpful advice on how best to manage your situation. Self-care is an invaluable tool for overcoming obstacles with grace and resilience.

Practical Writer's Block Tips to Get Writing Again

Remember, there are practical ways to get your words flowing again. Everyone experiences writer's block differently, so it is important to take some time for self-reflection and figure out what works best for you.

Overcoming writer's block requires patience and perseverance, as it is a process of trial and error - don't give up! Keep experimenting with different writer's block tips until you find one that works for you, and stick with it!

The best approach is to break down large projects into more manageable goals; this will help you focus on each individual task and stay motivated during the process.
Additionally, setting a timer for yourself each day can help with writer's block as it creates structure and can aid in productivity.
Connecting writing activities with other enjoyable activities, such as listening to music or taking breaks for light stretching or meditation, can make writing fun.
It's also beneficial to change up your environment often by switching rooms or working from a different spot in the house.

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Tips for Writer's Block: Seeking Support from Others

When we face writer's block, it can be helpful to ask for assistance from those around us. Through extra support and encouragement, our projects may become more successful than ever. Here are some tips for writer's block from our political science essay writing service to consider when seeking out help staring at a blank page:

Friends & Family - Who better to turn to than the people who know us best? Friends and family are a great source of emotional aid during these difficult times. They may have advice that is both encouraging and motivating, as well as provide accountability for reaching our goals.

Online Support Groups/Forums - Connecting with like-minded writers in an online community can be empowering and rewarding when unsure how to break writer's block. We can gain valuable insight from others' experiences, as well as various approaches for tackling issues we encounter during the writing process.

Writing Coaches/Mentors - Professional guidance is invaluable when you need to beat writer's block - having an objective opinion on our work helps us identify what changes need to be made in order to move forward. Furthermore, coaches or mentors can provide advice on how best to structure our projects for success while maintaining deadlines along the way.

Taking a Break - This is often necessary when dealing with frustrations or exhaustion over a project - taking time away from our screens allows us the chance to clear any negative emotions and come back to start writing feeling refreshed and inspired! Even just 10 minutes each day could make a huge difference in how we approach our projects afterward. Who knows, you could even write poetry worth a fortune!

Final Words

We understand how difficult writer's block can be. We don't have to go through this journey alone - seeking support from those around us is key to managing obstacles such as writer's block productively and intelligently. Establishing relationships with those who understand our struggles will be beneficial not only now but also in the future!

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is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

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Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block

Evidence-based tips and tactics.

Posted November 3, 2023 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

What Is Motivation?
Find a therapist near me
Self-criticism and self-doubt can undermine the writing process.
Feeling overwhelmed by the scope of a project can lead to inertia.
Sometimes, a change in your writing routine can break the monotony and stimulate creativity.

Writer's block, characterized by a prolonged inability to generate written content or a feeling of creative stagnation, affects writers across genres and disciplines. It is a common and often frustrating hurdle for individuals engaged in various forms of writing, from creative endeavors to academic and professional tasks. Let's take a look at some evidence-based strategies for overcoming writer's block. By understanding the factors contributing to it, and implementing proven methods, writers can enhance their creativity , productivity , and overall writing experience.

Several factors may lead to writer's block, including:

Perfectionism . The relentless pursuit of perfection can paralyze creativity.
Procrastination . Delaying writing tasks can lead to anxiety and diminished motivation .
Negative Self-Talk . Self-criticism and self-doubt can undermine the writing process.
Overwhelm. Feeling overwhelmed by the scope of a writing project can lead to inertia.

Evidence-Based Strategies

Freewriting and Mind Mapping. Research suggests that freewriting, a technique in which writers generate spontaneous, unstructured content, can help overcome writer's block (Elbow, 1973). Mind mapping, a visual brainstorming method, can also facilitate idea generation and organization (Buzan, 1974).
Setting Specific Goals. Setting clear, achievable writing goals can increase motivation and provide a sense of direction (Locke & Latham, 1990). These goals should be realistic, measurable, and time-bound.
Cognitive Restructuring. Cognitive-behavioral techniques, such as cognitive restructuring, can help writers identify and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to writer's block (Beck, 1976).
Writing Rituals and Environments. Creating consistent writing rituals and optimizing writing environments can signal to the brain that it's time to write. Research shows that these practices can enhance productivity (Kaempfer & Vos, 2019).
Collaboration and Peer Feedback. Collaborating with peers, participating in writing groups, and seeking feedback can provide fresh perspectives and motivation (Paulus & Brown, 2007).

Writer's block need not be an insurmountable obstacle. By understanding the factors that contribute to it and implementing evidence-based strategies, writers can rekindle their creativity and productivity. It is essential to tailor these techniques to individual preferences and needs, acknowledging that overcoming writer's block is a dynamic and personalized process.

As the research suggests, freewriting, goal setting, cognitive restructuring, optimizing writing rituals, and seeking collaborative support are effective approaches to address writer's block. Embracing these strategies can transform writer's block from an impediment into an opportunity for growth and increased creative output.

11 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block

Writer's block is a complex psychological phenomenon, and it's important to recognize that experiencing it is not a sign of inadequacy. Even the most renowned writers have encountered writer's block at some point in their careers. The key is to develop a toolkit of strategies and coping mechanisms to address it when it arises and continue to nurture your creativity.

Change Your Routine. Sometimes, a change in your writing routine can break the monotony and stimulate creativity. If you typically write in the morning, try writing in the evening, or vice versa. Changing your physical writing environment, such as moving from a desk to a park bench, can also help.
Mindfulness and Meditation . Practicing mindfulness techniques and meditation can help calm your mind and reduce anxiety. Mindfulness encourages you to focus on the present moment, which can be helpful when you're feeling overwhelmed by the scope of a writing project.
Read Widely. Reading books, articles, or other written materials that are outside your usual interests or genres can expose you to new ideas and writing styles. This can reignite your inspiration and creativity.
Writing Prompts. Writing prompts are short, open-ended statements or questions designed to spark your imagination . They can be a great way to jump-start your writing when you're feeling stuck. Websites and books with writing prompts are readily available.
Break the Project Into Smaller Tasks. Divide your writing project into smaller, manageable tasks. Instead of focusing on completing the entire piece, concentrate on finishing one section or writing a certain number of words each day. Achieving these smaller goals can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivation.
Physical Activity. Engaging in physical activities like walking, jogging, or yoga can help clear your mind and reduce stress , which can be a major contributor to writer's block.
Time Management Techniques. Employ time management methods such as the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for a set period (e.g., 25 minutes) followed by a short break. This can enhance focus and productivity.
Creative Writing Games. Participating in creative writing games, such as word association or storytelling with friends or writing peers, can be a fun and effective way to get your creative juices flowing.
Write Anything. When you're experiencing writer's block, it can be helpful to write anything, even if it's unrelated to your main project. The act of writing itself can stimulate your creativity and help you regain your writing momentum.
Use Cinema Therapy . There are some inspiring films out there that feel like they were written for writers. Check out Finding Forrester and Shakespeare in Love.
Seek Professional Help. If your writer's block is severe and persistent, consider seeking assistance from a professional, such as a counselor or therapist who can provide guidance on overcoming psychological barriers that may be contributing to your writer's block.

Different strategies may work better for different individuals or in various situations. It's essential to experiment with these techniques to discover what works best for you. Developing a toolbox of coping strategies can help you navigate and conquer writer's block when it arises.

Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.

Buzan, T. (1974). Use both sides of your brain. Dutton.

Elbow, P. (1973). Writing without teachers. Oxford University Press.

Kaempfer, S. H., & Vos, D. R. (2019). The effects of a flexible workplace on employee creativity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(3), 249-265.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Prentice-Hall.

Paulus, P. B., & Brown, V. R. (2007). Toward more creative and innovative group idea generation: A cognitive-social-motivational perspective of brainstorming. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 248-265.

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist, a columnist, and the author of 7 books, including Emotional Fitness for Couples.

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Writer's Block

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

Writer's block is a condition in which a skilled writer with the desire to write finds herself unable to write.

The expression writer's block was coined and popularized by American psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler in the 1940s. "In other ages and cultures," says Alice Flaherty in The Midnight Disease , "writers were not thought to be blocked but straightforwardly dried up. One literary critic points out that the concept of writer's block is peculiarly American in its optimism that we all have creativity just waiting to be unlocked." See Examples and Observations below. Also see:

12 Quick Tips for Beating Writer's Block
Writers on Writing: Overcoming Writer's Block
Composing My First College Essay, by Sandy Klem
How to Avoid Writing, by Robert Benchley
How to Write 2,500 Words Before Breakfast Every Day
John McPhee's Remedy for Writer's Block
Robert Pirsig on Overcoming Writer's Block
A Trick for Overcoming Writer's Block and Getting Into a Writing Frame of Mind
Writers on Writing: The Myth of Inspiration

Examples and Observations

"You don't know what it is to stay a whole day with your head in your hands trying to squeeze your unfortunate brain so as to find a word." (Gustave Flaubert, 1866)
"Why is suffering a major criterion for writer's block ? Because someone who is not writing but not suffering does not have writer's block; he or she is merely not writing. Such times may instead be fallow periods for the development of new ideas, periods Keats famously described as 'delicious diligent indolence.'" (Alice W. Flaherty, The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer's Block, and the Creative Brain . Houghton Mifflin, 2004)
"Although it can be triggered by any number of internal or external stimuli, the vital function that writer's block performs during the creative process remains constant: inability to write means that the unconscious self is vetoing the program demanded by the conscious ego." (Victoria Nelson, On Writer's Block . Houghton Mifflin, 1993)
"I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible." (Roy Blount, Jr.)
William Stafford's Remedy for Writer's Block "I believe that the so-called ' writing block ' is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance. . . . "Well, I have a formula for this that may just be a gimmicky way of explaining it. Anyway, it goes like this: one should lower his standards until there is no felt threshold to go over in writing. It’s easy to write. You just shouldn’t have standards that inhibit you from writing." (William Stafford, Writing the Australian Crawl . University of Michigan Press, 1978)
Eminem on Writer's Block "Fallin' asleep with writer's block in the parking lot of McDonalds, But instead of feeling sorry for yourself do something about it. Admit you got a problem, your brain is clouded, you pouted long enough." (Eminem, "Talkin' 2 Myself." Recovery , 2010)
Stephen King on Writer's Block - "There may be a stretch of weeks or months when it doesn't come at all; this is called writer's block . Some writers in the throes of writer's block think their muses have died, but I don't think that happens often; I think what happens is that the writers themselves sow the edges of their clearing with poison bait to keep their muses away, often without knowing they are doing it. This may explain the extraordinarily long pause between Joseph Heller's classic novel Catch-22 and the follow-up, years later. That was called Something Happened . I always thought that what happened was Mr. Heller finally cleared away the muse repellent around his particular clearing in the woods." (Stephen King, "The Writing Life." The Washington Post , October 1, 2006) - "[M]y son, fed up with hearing me complain and whine about my 'illness,' gave me a present for Christmas, Stephen King’s On Writing . . . . The simple theme of this remarkable book is if you really want to write, then shut yourself in a room, close the door, and WRITE. If you don’t want to write, do something else." (Mary Garden, "Writer's Block." Absolute Write, 2007)
The Trick "[Y]ou don't want to face the blank page. You'll do anything to avoid writing. You'll go clean your toilet before you write. So I finally figured it out. I've done the most writing this year because of a trick I've figured out. . . . The trick is you gotta find something worse than writing. [ Laughing ] That's it. That's the trick." (Robert Rodriguez, quoted by Charles Ramirez Berg in "The Mariachi Aesthetic Goes to Hollywood." Robert Rodriguez: Interviews , ed. by Zachary Ingle. University Press of Mississippi, 2012)
The Lighter Side of Writer's Block "[Writing is] brutal, slogging work, comparable to coal mining, but harder. You never hear coal miners complaining about Coal Miner's Block, wherein, try as they might, they simply can't bring themselves to mine another piece of coal. Whereas this kind of tragedy befalls novelists all the time, which is why so many of them are forced to quit working altogether and become university professors." (Dave Barry, I'll Mature When I'm Dead . Berkley, 2010)
Were, We're, and Where: How to Choose the Right Word
Writer's Notebook
What Is Freewriting?
20 Quotes on the Nature of Writing
The Basic Characteristics of Effective Writing
Basic Writing
What Does It Mean to Be a Writer?
Writers on Reading
Postscript (P.S.) Definition and Examples in Writing
Definition and Examples of Overwriting
Definition, Examples, and Observations on Writing
What Makes Someone a Good Writer?
The Use of Listing in Composition
Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech

500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer’s Block

Looking to get your story started with a writing prompt? You’ve come to the right place. In this post we detail everything you need to know about writing prompts and give you 500 writing prompts broken down by genre. Enjoy!

I want to be a writer… but what if I have nothing to write about?

Ever feel like you’d love to write but you’re fresh out of ideas? Like there’s nothing else that you could possibly write about, or you have no idea where to even get started? We get it. One of the hardest steps in writing a book is often knowing where to get started. Coming up with content, getting your pen (or pencil) to paper, and letting your creativity flow is a challenge that many writers struggle with. As we know, facing writer’s block and fighting personal writing doubt is common. An overwhelming number of professional authors admit to getting stuck well before they get to the point of selling books on Amazon . Thankfully, there’s an answer to the question of where to turn when you feel like you’ve hit that proverbial wall: the writing prompt.

What is a writing prompt?

How often do writers use writing prompts?

There’s no right answer to this question because using writing prompts can often be a personal choice. Some authors find it greatly benefits their ability to turn out creative results. Some authors know that they already have the right ideas for a book in their heads. With using writing prompts, you need to decide on what’s best for you . Whatever method helps you generate ideas is what’s best for your writing!

Is there a writing prompt that’s best for me?

You might be wondering if there’s one type of writing prompt that’s best for you. It’s easy to find selections of prompts that are filtered by specific genres (romance, mystery, and so on). However, we recommend sticking to genre-specific prompts if you want your writing to be more focused. With that being said, you never know when inspiration will strike. If your writing needs are less genre-restricted, reading as many writing prompts ideas as possible may be the best option for you! Whenever I write for fun, I love to read as many prompts as I can across all genres. Hey, you can get some pretty fun ideas for a thriller story from sci-fi writing prompts.

Where can I find writing prompts?

Easy – the Internet! And books, too. We recommend checking out our collection of prompts first, but there are numerous great sources throughout the web with writing prompts ideas (blogs, social media, and even AI tools like ChatGPT ). Through combing the Internet for great websites and blogs like Reedsy , Screencraft , The Write Practice , Bryn Donovan’s resources , and the @writing.prompt.s Instagram page, we’ve written and gathered 500 writing prompts to help you kickstart your brain into writing mode. Categorized into ten popular genres, we encourage you to grab your mug of coffee or tea, read through our prompts, and get ready to catch the writing bug.

Have any particular writing prompts that help you get focused? Want to tell us about a great website for writing prompts? Feel free to share those in the comments below. Happy writing!

Mystery / Thriller
Science Fiction
Fantasy / Paranormal
General Fiction
Religion / Spirituality
Travel / Adventure
Young Adult

What are some mystery and thriller writing prompts?

You find strange, muddy footprints leading up to your front door.
A stranger sits down next to you on a train and gets up, leaving a package behind. Do you investigate the package?
You hear news of your next-door neighbor vanishing without a trace.
One day the national news channel shuts off. And the next day after that, too.
One day at work, you look across the street to see a hooded figure in a black coat pointing directly at you. What do they want?
You stumble upon a strange house you’ve never seen before on your morning run.
You get a text message from an unknown number saying, “Meet me outside. Now.”
Your parents tell you that they actually don’t know whose child you are.
Someone puts a large black box on your doorstep. A note on the front reads, “Caution: may bite.”
You wake up to discover a completely different, unknown face staring back at you from the mirror.
The protagonist of your story discovers that there is a person who looks exactly like him.
An international spy group recruits you to be their latest member.
You begin to realize that your reflection is no longer appearing in mirrors.
You aunt passes away, leaving you $500,000 in her will under the condition that you resume care for your hundred-year-old home.
Your best friend tells you that she feels like someone’s been watching her. The next day she goes missing.
Three words: Long lost brother.
The day of your wedding, you wake up to find every person in your wedding party has been brutally murdered.
The FBI begs you to come back to work on a special case. Your former partner has turned and is now wanted for the murders of three co-workers.
Local gravestones begin disappearing.
You can solve murders simply by stepping foot at the crime scene. Problem is, no one believes you.
Write a short story where the protagonist has a doppelganger. (Reedsy)
Your fingers tensed around the object in your pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment’s notice. (Reedsy)
You’re sitting by a window watching the flakes slowly and silently fall. Suddenly, you see something outside that snaps you out of your reverie. (Reedsy)
You’re at a huge store scouting out Black Friday deals. You start to notice that all the security cameras in the store seem to be following your each and every move. (Reedsy)
You work for the CIA who send you undercover in the FBI, who send you undercover in M16, who send you undercover in the CIA, who are very confused that you are back after only two weeks. (Reedsy)
A terrorist group has been infiltrated by so many agencies that it is now run by spies, unbeknownst to the spies themselves. This fact becomes apparent to an actual extremist who joins their ranks. (Reedsy)
Ever since childhood, a dark figure no one else can see has been following you around, whispering in your ear. Today you see it lying a few feet away, screaming and asking you to run. (Reedsy)
You’ve lived an average life up until today, your 20th birthday. You just found out that your dad is the runaway son of a doting criminal warlord, and your mom is the daughter of an equally doting secret agent. Both family businesses are looking to make you the next heir. (Reedsy)
She has been walking for hours. Her feet are starting to bleed. But she can’t stop moving… she can’t let him find her again. (Reedsy)
The morning after a blizzard you make your way outside and slowly start to realize everyone has disappeared. (Reedsy)
You find a hand-written note on your windshield that says, “Drive west for 100 miles.” (Reedsy)
You wake up in a jail cell, crusted blood covering your hands. You have no idea how you got there. The cell door clangs open, and an officer walks you to interrogation room where two detectives wait to question you. (Reedsy)
You walk into your job and find a secret, coded note pinned to your desk. What do you do next? (Reedsy)
Guard this with your life. (Reedsy)
A loved one confides in you, but the secret could damage someone else you care about. What do you do? (Reedsy)
As you’re browsing through a rack of sweaters, someone approaches you and says, “I need you to listen to me very carefully.” (Reedsy)
Write a short dark comedy in which a long-unsolved mystery is finally cracked. (Reedsy)
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but you knew the one you’d just taken was worth a million. (Reedsy)
You were the oldest person still living in the town and you remembered things no one else did. (Reedsy)
Looking through old family photos, multiple generations back, you notice there is a cat in almost every group photo. The same cat – color, pattern, one docked ear – that is currently purring on your lap. (Reedsy)
“… and that’s why dividing by three is illegal.” (Reedsy)
You’re a serial killer who murders anyone you see hitchhiking up your mountain. One day, you pick up a hitchhiker who kills anyone who picks them up.
You are legally allowed to commit murder once, but you must fill out the proper paperwork and your proposed victim will be notified of your intentions. (Reedsy)
You hire two private investigators to investigate each other. One month later both come to you to present their findings. (Reedsy)
20 years after your daughter was abducted, a detective finds you to reopen the case. The detective turns out to be your daughter. (Reedsy)
You’re shaking hands with a stranger at a networking event when you ask for their name. “I have no name,” they reply. (Reedsy)
As you’re paying for your groceries, you mention to the clerk, “There’s a mess in aisle 16.” They give you a puzzled look and reply, “There is no aisle 16.” (Reedsy)
The detective didn’t realize they were being foiled by a competing detective. (Reedsy)
The first day you opened your own office as a private investigator, you didn’t expect it to be busy. You were wrong. (Reedsy)
You are the world’s greatest detective. With your near superhuman intellect, you have never failed to solve a case before. One day, you finally meet your match: a criminal so unbelievably stupid that you cannot possibly comprehend and predict what he’s going to do next. (Reedsy)

What are some romance writing prompts?

Left at the altar, you decide to seek revenge on your ex.
You got ditched at the last minute before prom – who will your date be?
A stranger texts the wrong number, and accidentally sends you a declaration of love. The message is so sweet and heartfelt that you know you can’t let it go.
A divorced former couple find each other on the same flight to Paris… Sitting next to each other.
After joining an adult swim league, you realize that your coach is irresistibly cute.
Your husband accidentally sends you a text meant for his mistress.
You and a hot stranger get trapped in an elevator.
Write a love story set at the zoo.
A college professor and their teaching assistant hit it off a little too well.
You get to make one wish to create your dream romantic partner. What is it?
Two strangers on an online chat room hit it off. Turns out they’re childhood sweethearts.
A parole officer falls in love with his parolee.
After their catamaran crashes, a husband and wife on their anniversary trip are left marooned on an island in the tropics.
She’s a burgeoning lingerie model who needs her cute neighbor to take portfolio shots of her.
An alien falls in love with a forbidden human.
Desperate for cash, a med student signs up to be a nude model for a retired women’s art club.
A cutthroat business woman swore she’d never find love until her best friend sets her up on a blind date.
Two widowed people meet at a community garden.
A chef decides to embark on an international culinary tour for inspiration and falls in love with their tour guide.
A daughter tries to set her widowed father up on an online dating app – without him knowing.
A Republican presidential candidate and Democratic presidential candidate fall in love.
You are a popular book heroine’s love interest. You now have 60 seconds to convince them that saving the city is more important than saving you. (@writing.prompt.s)
The love of your life is your brother’s nemesis.
You fall in love with every person you make eye contact with.
You’re a mail order bride arriving at her new home for the first time.
After you move to a new city, you fall in love with your realtor while buying a new house.
You realize that you’ve fallen out of love with your new wife while you’re on your honeymoon.
You and your best friends decide to try a new dating app for the first time.
At your friend’s urging, you begrudgingly attend a Valentine’s Day speed dating event. (Reedsy)
Every day, you return to your apartment and say, “Honey, I’m home. Oh wait, that’s right… I live alone.” But then one day, a voice replies, “I picked up some pizza.” (Reedsy)
Cupid offers to shoot an arrow into the person you love. He warns you that if the person already has a pre-existing affection towards you, it will disappear when the arrow strikes. (Reedsy)
You meet your doppelganger of the opposite sex and find you are strangely attracted to each other. (Reedsy)
Write a romantic comedy. Difficulty: both lovers are emotionally mature and have excellent communication skills. (Reedsy)
In the future, romantic attraction is literal: each person is fitted with an electromagnetic bracelet which, they claim, will pull you to your soulmate. It’s the day they turn the magnets on, and you’re waiting. (Reedsy)
A fortune teller falls in love with their client who has their palm read every month. (Reedsy)
It wasn’t love at first sight. But now you were starting to see them in a new light… (Reedsy)
Someone with anxiety falls in love with someone extremely adventurous. (Reedsy)
The lives of two people are changed forever when they coincidentally meet and engage in a weekend-long affair. (Reedsy)
They lived in a world where PDA is forbidden. One day, they slipped up and held hands on the street. (Reedsy)
Two characters who are perfect for one another are foiled by bad timing. (Reedsy)
Two mortal enemies fall in love when they’re trapped in an elevator together and begin to see the other person’s perspective. (Reedsy)
Valentine’s Day at a retirement home. (Reedsy)
Well, that was a New Year’s Eve kiss you won’t forget any time soon. (Reedsy)
You have the ability to make anyone fall in love with you. You’ve just fallen in love for the first time. Do you use your power? (Reedsy)
You and your partner finally have the most romantic vacation planned. Problem is, your in-laws decided to tag along at the last minute.
You never would have guessed that in 48 hours you’d be married. (Reedsy)
A dog lover and cat lover fall in love… and must find a way to get their animals to fall in love, too.
You’ve been bumping into the same stranger for months. Finally, you decide to say hello. (Reedsy)
They might have aged 50 years, but when they held you, those hands felt exactly like they did the first time. (Reedsy)
An avalanche strands two mortal enemies together… and they start to fall in love.

What are some science fiction writing prompts?

You wake up one morning to find out that you get to move to any planet of your choosing.
Your wife is a droid.
Every day, you get one hour to revisit any moment from your life. What do you pick?
Gravity no longer exists.
You are chosen to go on the first ever recreational space journey.
After people die, their spirits can be brought back from death but at the cost of one random human life. Is it worth it?
Everyone in the world has the ability to read thoughts. Except for one person.
You have to power to build one separate planet. How do you build it? Who gets to live there?
What team do you gather to fight the largest alien and terrorist threat on Earth?
The world is dying. In order to save it, you’ve been commanded to sacrifice yourself to an invading alien group.
You are the first person able to breathe in outer space.
A rare form of cancer is the newest superbug. With a team of scientists, you all must find a cure before the population is wiped out.
Human beings begin to find themselves growing extra limbs as global warming amps up.
It turns out humans have been the aliens all along.
You are in charge of a secretive government agency that aligns people’s fates. Their livelihood is entirely up to you and what you want to do with it.
Technology becomes illegal.
All plant life on the planet is wiped out, except for in Florida.
You are one of the mechanics on the first ever self-flying airplane.
Walking through the woods one day, you come across a small animal that has the ability to instantaneously clone itself.
Your whole family has fought in the space military, but you’ve decided to no longer take part in it.
In an alternate universe where global warming has ruined the planet, you’ve spent your entire life living in an airplane on autopilot.
You’re a 15-year-old in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. However, a cure has been found that not only rids the infected person of the virus before they turn but prevents it altogether. Only one problem… Your parents are anti-vaxxers. (@writing.prompt.s)
Nasa engineers monitor the curiosity rover’s actions. All seems normal until the robot suddenly changes its course. The scientists attempt to correct it over and over until they suddenly receive a transmission from the rover: “Will Save Oppy” (@writing.prompt.s)
What if a nuclear submarine was ordered to launch their nuclear arsenal onto the world? (Screencraft)
What if the world we live in is actually a computer simulation? (Screencraft)
What if the past and present timelines began to merge? (Screencraft)
What if your stepfather or stepmother is actually your future self? (Screencraft)
What if the sun began to die? (Screencraft)
What if the universe as we know it is actually someone’s imagination? (Screencraft)
Everyone on earth begins to experience universal amnesia.
The year is 2200. What does the world look like to you?
In the future, we no longer require water, air, or food. We are a super efficient team of robots.
What do you think happens when the grid goes down?
Describe your perfect utopian world.
Your penpal lives on the opposite side of the universe.
Aliens who only communicate with sign language invade. To avoid war, our governments must engage a vastly marginalized portion of the human population: the hearing-impaired. (The Write Practice)
A rogue planet with strange properties collides with our sun, and after it’s all over, worldwide temperature falls forty degrees. Write from the perspective of a someone trying to keep his tropical fruit trees alive. (The Write Practice)
Ever read about the world’s loneliest whale? Write a story in which he’s actually the survivor of an aquatic alien species which crashed here eons ago, and he’s trying very hard to learn the “local” whale language so he can fit in. Write from his perspective the first time he makes contact. (The Write Practice)
An alien planet starts receiving bizarre audio transmissions from another world (spoiler: they’re from Earth). What does it mean? Are they under attack? Some think so…until classic rock ‘n’ roll hits the airwaves, and these aliens discover dancing. Write from the perspective of the teenaged alien who first figures it out. (The Write Practice)
Take anything we find normal today (shopping malls, infomercials, products to remove facial hair, etc.) and write a story from the perspective of an archeologist five thousand years in the future who just unearthed this stuff, has NO idea what any of it was for, and has to give a speech in an hour explaining the historical/religious/sociological significance. (The Write Practice)
House cats are aliens who have succeeded in their plan to rule the world. Discuss.
A high schooler from fifteen hundred years in our future is assigned a one-page writing project on a twenty-first century person’s life based entirely on TV commercials. Write the beginning of the essay. (The Write Practice)
Time travel works, but only once in a person’s life. Write from the perspective of someone who chooses to go back in time, knowing they can never return. Where do they go and why? (The Write Practice)
So yeah, ancient Egypt really was “all that” after all, and the pyramids turn out to be fully functional spaceships (the limestone was to preserve the electronics hidden inside). Write from the perspective of the tourist who accidentally turns one on. (The Write Practice)
Ten years from now, scientists figure out how to stop human aging and extend life indefinitely—but every time someone qualifies for that boost, someone else has to die to keep the surplus population in check. Oh, it’s all very humane; one’s descendants get a huge paycheck. Write from the perspective of someone who just got a letter in the mail saying they’re the one who has to die. (The Write Practice)
In the future, neural implants translate music into physical pleasure, and earphones (“jacking in”) are now the drug of choice. Write either from the perspective of a music addict, OR the Sonforce agent (sonance + enforcer) who has the job of cracking down. (The Write Practice)
It’s the year 5000. Our planet was wrecked in the great Crisis of 3500, and remaining human civilization survives only in a half dozen giant domed cities. There are two unbreakable rules: strict adherence to Life Quality (recycling doesn’t even begin to cover these laws), and a complete ban on reproduction (only the “worthy” are permitted to create new humans). Write from the perspective of a young woman who just discovered she’s been chosen to reproduce—but she has no interest in being a mother. (The Write Practice)
In the nineteenth century, there’s a thriving trade in stolen archeological artifacts. Write a story from the perspective of an annoyed, minimum-wage employee whose job is traveling back in time to obtain otherwise unobtainable artifacts, then has to bring them back to the present (the 1800s, that is) and artificially age them before they will sell. (The Write Practice)
Steampunk! Write a story from the perspective of a hot air balloon operator who caters to folks who like a little thrill… which means she spends half her time in the air shooting down pterodactyls before the paying customers get TOO scared. (The Write Practice)
Creation myth! Write from the perspective of a crazy scientist in the year 28,000 who, determined to discover how the universe began, rigs up a malfunctioning time machine, goes to the “beginning” of the universe, and ends up being the reason for the Big Bang. (Logic? Causal effect? Pfft. Hush, it’s time-travel, and that was never logical.) (The Write Practice)

What are some fantasy and paranormal writing prompts?

A mysterious creature speaks to you in your dreams and tells you that when you awake, you will have the ability to see into another realm.
Your pet dragon transforms into a person.
You are gifted with the strongest, most elusive sword in the kingdom, but if you use it you will never be able to speak again.
A magical world exists underground. To get there, you’ll need to start digging.
You wake up and find out that you’re the only living person left on the planet.
On her deathbed, your grandmother tells you that there’s a hidden treasure buried in her backyard. The family has been trying to locate it for decades. It’s up to you to finally find it.
The ocean becomes the sky.
You must save your kingdom from ruin by learning how to breathe fire.
You have the power to read the lost language, making you the only person to decipher the scroll.
Fairies are tired of being used for free labor.
Your favorite fairy tale is now set in 2019.
You are kidnapped by a knight who demands your assistance in sleighing the city’s most dangerous dragon.
A man and his wife own the largest potion store in town. Little do the townspeople know, but they’re all being slowly poisoned by the potions.
A magical toad begins talking to you, but you’re the only person who can hear him.
You come into possession of a ring that can change the weather to whatever you decide.
You’re selected to take part in a secretive, underground magic university… but you have to kill someone to go.
You wake up to find yourself a member of King Arthur’s Round Table.
An underwater society decides to overtake the world.
Regular person by day, a shape shifter by night.
Satan puts you in charge of Hell.
You are the king. After your daughter was kidnapped by a dragon, you offered the standard reward to whoever rescued her. You weren’t expecting a different dragon to rescue her. (@writing.prompt.s)
A woman has been dating guy after guy, but it never seems to work out. She’s unaware that she’s actually been dating the same guy over and over; a shapeshifter who’s fallen for her and is certain he’s going to get it right this time. (@writing.prompt.s)
The cocky main character of a popular book is sent to the real world. He is shocked to find that the fans of his book not only like the villain more but favor his side kick over him. (@writing.prompt.s)
You’re an immortal who lives at a beach resort. You have many summer flings with mortals on getaways. One day you see someone you had a hot romantic night with 50 years ago. They look exactly the same. (@writing.prompt.s)
The stars have been watching you your whole life, as you laughed and cried, loved and suffered. Today, you’re finally going to do something that none of them can bear to watch. They blink out, the whole night sky turning dark, just as you’re about to do it. (@writing.prompt.s)
A lord takes a fancy to a peasant girl and kidnaps her for his own. Little does he know that she’s a trained assassin who has been preparing to take his life for years. (@writing.prompt.s)
You are the last person on Earth, and you are able to make one wish. What do you wish for?
You and your family are on a hike when you stumble upon a group of witches in the forest, in the midst of casting spells.
You have the power to transform into whatever mystical creature you choose.
You and your ghost best friend are an infamous crime-solving team.
No, there’s absolutely no way that ghosts are real. Sure, you just saw a mysterious fuzzy figure you appear before you in your house, but that had to be your imagination… right?
You’re the one human who is capable of seeing ghosts. It’s up to you to save them from being removed from the human world for good.
You were born to be a villain, but you find yourself leaning more and more towards the good as you get older.
Spend some time working on world building. How can you create a believable fantasy world that readers can picture clearly? What types of characters does your world include?
Dream up your own, one-of-a-kind mythical race.
You and your adventurous crew on a quest for the old King’s hidden gold. Just one problem – so is the rest of your village.
10 cm of snow had fallen overnight, just as the weatherman predicted. The only thing is… the snow isn’t white. (Reedsy)
You start realizing that at least one aspect of every dream you have comes true the next day. (Reedsy)
You can buy a pill that lets you decide exactly what you will dream about while you sleep. (Reedsy)
You find a polaroid camera that seems to predict the future: its pictures show what will happen exactly 5 minutes from the moment you take them. (Reedsy)
You were on your way to see a doctor who promised to know the secret to making yourself fall out of love with someone. (Reedsy)
Write a story that includes a character hearing their fate by a fortune teller. (Reedsy)
As a joke, you put on a tinfoil hat. Suddenly your mind goes completely silent. (Reedsy)
Silence is now literally golden. For every day of total silence a person completes, they receive a piece of gold. (Reedsy)
A new candy had been invented that allowed the person who ate it to relive any memory they wanted. There was a lineup outside the shop. (Reedsy)
It’s 1AM at night. But the sun is out. (Reedsy)
You wake up 10 years younger. What do you do? (Reedsy)
I wish I could skip next week, you think as you get into bed that night. In the morning, you wake up 100 years in the future. (Reesy)
They found out about us. They’re coming. They were the words the kingdom had feared hearing for thousands of years. (Reedsy)
A group of scientists on a submarine are alarmed when they spot what looks like a functioning lighthouse at the bottom of the ocean. (Reedsy)

What are some general fiction writing prompts?

You’re chasing your dream of being the first person to fly.
Coffee is illegal and you have to single handedly smuggle it into the country.
You have to get to the bottom of your family’s deepest secret.
What was the strangest thing you’ve ever seen in public?
Detail the life of the person who inspires you the most.
Imagine what would happen if you woke up one morning unable to see, speak, or hear.
Think about what you are most proud of. Follow the story of how you got to that point.
By way of a lottery system, the king chooses you to be his queen.
Use five points of view to describe one situation.
Describe the life of a struggling author attempting to make it “big.”
Tell the story of one woman on the mission to find her lost biological daughter.
Your dream is to open a restaurant and be a top chef, but how can you do that when you were born without taste buds?
You’ve just returned home from war only to find your family missing without a trace.
A famous shoe designer asks you to quit your job and be his latest model.
You have the power to create, and star in, your own reality show. What does it look like?
The dark family secret that’s always been hidden comes to light.
As an 80-year-old, you decide to finally learn how to swim so you can participate in a triathlon.
Write a scene detailing your greatest fear. Now imagine that has come true for your character.
What’s the greatest advice you’ve ever been given? What if you lived solely according to it?
You live in a world with no stress and fear.
Death has been flirting with you for a long time, but they’ve become a bit annoying. After another attempting to hang out with you again, you jokingly tell them, “If I was the last person on Earth, I’d maybe give you a chance.” Death believes you and will double their efforts.
When people are born, they are assigned a soulmate. They have a song in their head that only them and their soulmate know. How do you find your soulmate? (@writing.prompt.s)
Write a story about a character waking up to something absurd. (Reedsy)
Write a story about a character waking up to the best news of their life. (Reedsy)
Write a short story with an unreliable narrator that readers can never quite trust. (Reedsy)
Write a short story in which the main “character” is the setting: for example, a house. (Reedsy)
Write a story about someone who would be described, above all else, as honest. Or kind. Or intelligent. (Reedsy)
Using only dialogue, write a short story about a first date, a reunion between old friends, an argument that gets heated, an adult explaining something to a child, or the reveal of a long-hidden secret. (Reedsy)
Imagine telling the story of a professional hypnotizer. (Reedsy)
Tell a story through text messages.
Tell the story of what you would do if you won the lottery.
Write your own obituary.
Tell a story from your favorite era.
Imagine how you would help solve the greatest challenges that the world faces. What would your plan be?
What would a world be like with no poverty? What would change? What would stay the same?
Tell the story of the first time that you learned to do something really well.
Imagine what it would be like to be a pop star.
Tell a story through song.
Write from the perspective of your worst enemy.
Tell a story using only one sense – seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, or touching.
After years on the job search, you’ve finally gotten your dream job – but it changes you for the worst.
You own a tiny mom and pops-type store that you run with your family.
The worst thing that you could imagine happening happens.
You’re the judge of the annual pie contest in your hometown but, unbeknownst to you, one of the pies is poisoned.
You go on a road trip to visit your late father’s grave.
Tell the story of seeing the ocean for the first time. Or the last.
You’re allergic to oxygen.
Imagine what would happen if every person in the world woke up in a good mood every day.
You’re put in charge of taking care of your elderly grandmother towards the end of her life.
You get one chance to talk to any person in the world. Who do you choose?

What are some religion and spirituality writing prompts?

What makes you believe in God?
God speaks directly to you – what does He say?
What do you find to be most beautiful in the world?
You get to build a religion of your own. What do you make it into?
You must live every single day according to a holy text of your choice. What happens?
Explore what it means to be religious versus spiritual.
What helps you meditate?
What is the greatest wisdom that you would like to impart on the world?
Who is one religious figure you would like to have dinner with? What do you talk to them about?
Describe your idea of heaven.
Detail your favorite story in the holy text of your choosing.
You live in a world where no Gods exist.
What does karma mean to you?
What would your ideal world look like?
You have the power to make every single person in the world ether religious or nonreligious. What do you do? What changes about the world?
What makes you a religious or spiritual person?
Describe what a church means to you. Have you had positive or negative experiences in a church?
Write a poem about your religious path in life.
Write a religious comedy.
What happens when a priest decides he doesn’t want to be a priest anymore?
Think about what morality means to you.
What is the difference in good versus evil? How do you know?
How does one know what is innately good?
What makes you religious?
What makes you non religious?
Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has completely opposite spiritual or religious views from you. Why do they think a certain way?
Describe what your childhood views in spirituality or religion were.
What do you hope your religious or spirituality path to look like as you age?
How would you advise someone to strengthen their faith?
If you could talk to God, what would you want to say?
The Southern Baptist Convention elects its first woman president, though she is subsequently removed from the position due to an obscure rule. In protest, every woman leaves the Southern Baptist denomination to form an independent, women-only sect of Baptists.
God needs a vacation from heaven, so he comes to earth to experience life as a dog. He is captured by animal control and is impounded, and you adopt god-the-dog after a tragedy that makes you question your faith.
An opiate addict going through severe withdrawal symptoms has a conversation with the Buddha – what did they talk about, and was it the result of a fever dream, or a spiritual awakening?
You record a video that seemingly shows a woman walking on water at a small rural pond. The video goes viral as proof that Jesus has returned, and Christians begin to wonder if Christ was the Daughter, not the Son, of God.
A secular Jew and a devout Muslim debate food and faith on a train from Quebec to Montreal.
What are your personal ten commandments?
When was a specific moment where you felt a “divine presence” in your life?
Have you ever felt like you’ve experienced a glimpse into the afterlife?
What form do you think the afterlife will take, if you believe that it exists?
Have you ever had an out of body experience?
William Blake, famous British poet, thought that to love was to be in tune with the divine. Do you think this is true? How have you experienced divine love?
How have you experienced the divine through love?
Emanuel Swedenborg believed that there was a soulmate for every person, and that you couldn’t get into heaven until your soul mate had also passed away. Do you believe in the concept of soul mates?
Do you believe in reincarnation?
What would reincarnation look like to you?
Some religions believe that animals and plants have souls. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
Describe a particularly spiritual moment in your life. What were you doing? Were you by yourself or with someone else?
What is your most taboo religious belief?
Some religions believe that human beings could never truly represent a higher power in art. Do you agree with this? What is an example of art or words that you feel represent the higher power?
What are your thoughts on love languages?

What are some travel and adventure writing prompts?

Write about your favorite vacation.
What culture interests you the most?
You get lost in a foreign city with no cell phone and no money. What do you do?
Your favorite chef asks you to join them on a culinary tour of the world.
What country have you always dreamt of traveling to?
What’s your dream vacation?
Tell the story of the worst traveling experience of your life.
A country of your choosing fuses with North America.
You and your best friends go on a road trip across America, with no budget and for however long you want.
You are asked to review a luxury hotel on the beach.
You are forced to leave your home and move to a remote foreign country. What do you pack with you?
What about traveling excites you?
Go back in time to the era of your choosing and describe how you live.
Rate your top five favorite places in the world. What do you like about each place? What do you dislike?
If you could have any travel-related job in the world, what would it be?
You and your partner are kidnapped on your honeymoon.
Describe a 100-day walking journey around your state.
Imagine if you had never left your home in your entire life and then were forced to go outside and never come back to your house.
What do you say to your family in a postcard from a new location?
Describe what it’s like to sit in rush hour traffic in one of the busiest cities in the world.
A journey to a new location is disrupted by natural disaster.
Describe what it’s like to travel with a crippling fear of airplanes.
What is it that you love about traveling? Explore that feeling.
What is frightening about traveling? Explore that feeling.
What stories would you most like to share about the town that you’re from?
You have the opportunity to move anywhere in the world. Where do you choose?
Explore what your travels in Asia have been like.
Explore what your travels in Europe have been like.
Explore what your travels in South America have been like.
Explore what your travels in North America have been like.
Explore what your travels in Africa have been like.
What is the most unusual place you’d like to travel?
What do you think is most misunderstood about the culture of your home country?
What cultural norms are you most interested in exploring from foreign countries?
Describe the foreign foods that you most want to try.
Imagine that you are a successful chef in a foreign city.
Describe a time when you have been excited to explore a new place.
What is the most beautiful image that you have ever seen while traveling?
You get to go to any museum in the world. Which one do you choose?
What is your greatest horror story from traveling?
What is your happiest story from traveling?
Picture yourself on a foreign vacation with a person of your choosing. What do you do?
If you had to move to a foreign country tomorrow, what five items would you pack with you?
Set the scene for a beautiful beach that you have never traveled to.
Set the scene for a gorgeous castle that you have never traveled to.
A three day visit to Budapest becomes a maritime adventure down the Danube River to the Black Sea.
You are a sales representative for a roulette table manufacturer. While visiting the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino for work, you decide to discard all your possessions, cash out your minimal savings, and hike the Mountains-to-Sea trail from Clingmans Dome to the Ocracoke Lighthouse.
While en route to visit your college roommate in Kyoto, Japan you meet a stranger at Tan Son Nhat International Airport who needs your help finding a prophetic monk hiding from persecution in Saigon.
You have to make it from Cairo to Alexandria (Egypt). You have no money. Your only mode of transport is a temperamental camel.
In a high-stakes game of poker in the French Quarter, you wagered your soul to a voodoo doctor on a pretty bad hand. The only way to null the bet is to find a woman in Port-au-Prince, Haiti who has an item – the only item – the man is willing to trade for.

What are some horror writing prompts?

You wake up to a world in which all prisons are shut down, releasing dangerous prisoners into your neighborhood.
A masked stranger appears at your front door with a knife.
A random number texts you saying, “Don’t forget, you’re next.”
Someone knocks at your door. You open it to find your deceased grandfather who has come back from the dead to pay you a visit. What does he want?
Animals take over the world.
Strange murmuring sounds being to come from the door that leads to your basement.
While watching the evening news, the anchor looks directly at the camera and begins screaming before the camera cuts to black.
A polar vortex freezes the entire planet.
Whatever building you enter, you can see all of the people who died there.
You wake up in a strange room, tied to a chair, with a single knife on the floor pointed at you.
A chilling voice appears in your head. It won’t go away. One day, it tells you that you have to run.
The old cuckoo clock at your grandmother’s home is haunted.
You’re driving at night when you can’t help but shake the feeling that there’s a person in your back seat.
One day, while you’re in the shower, you hear your front door open and close. “Hey, roomie, I’m home!” Someone shouts. You don’t have a roommate.
A strange man living down the street begins leaving presents at your doorstep.
The cruise ship is haunted.
While working at a clothing store, you’re closing up the shop for the night when you see five men walk in through the front door and lock it behind them.
You’re in the middle of a bank robbery – hiding in the bathroom.
Your dog won’t stop barking at a sunken spot in your living room floor.
For the last few days, you’ve been getting ominous messages written in blood on your bathroom mirror. Turns out, they’re from an awkward ghost with a serious crush on you. (@writing.prompt.s)
The reason no one has ever seen the real Santa Claus is because everyone who sees him dies. You just saw him and now you need to survive. (@writing.prompt.s)
You wake up bound to an electric chair, moments before your imminent death.
A woman afraid of clowns is forced to work in a travelling circus. (Screencraft)
A treasure hunter finds a tomb buried beneath the dirt. (Screencraft)
A bartender serves last call to the only remaining patron who is the Devil himself. (Screencraft)
A boy’s stepfather is actually a murderous werewolf. (Screencraft)
A man wakes up with no mouth. (Screencraft)
Deceased soldiers return to their Civil War-era homes. (Screencraft)
Suburbia is actually purgatory. (Screencraft)
A man suffers from sleep paralysis at the worst possible time. (Screencraft)
A man murders his wife while sleepwalking.
What appears to be a ghost approaches your car while you’re waiting at a stoplight.
It’s late at night, and you hear footsteps in the cellar—but you’re definitely home alone… or so you thought. (The Write Practice)
You’ve put that doll in the cabinet, in the closet, in the attic, but no matter where you tuck it, it always shows back up on the sofa. On Halloween night, you come out to find it watching you… (The Write Practice)
A bad-tempered businessman is driving home after a long day of work. He thinks he sees his kids trick-or-treating and stops to pick them up—but those aren’t costumes. (The Write Practice)
A young woman goes to her grandmother’s house for tea on Halloween night. They have a wonderful time together, sharing stories, joy, and the best times of family. The next day, the woman learns her grandmother has been dead for a week and no one could get ahold of her to tell her. (The Write Practice)
Aliens have just landed on Earth—and boy, did they pick a weird day to come. How do they respond to Halloween, supernatural or otherwise? Do they decide this place is just too bizarre and get the heck out . . . or do they stick around and join in the fun? (The Write Practice)
On Halloween night, lovers get to come back and spend the evening together one more time. One couple from the Roaring Twenties decides to come back from the grave to help their extreme nerd great-grandchild or the kid will never get married. (The Practice)
A little boy’s lost in the woods, but at least his faithful dog is with him. As they look for the way out, the dog defends his master against terrifying monsters and animals. Finally, the boy arrives safely on the other side, beautiful green field, no more fog or night. Then the dog goes home . . . where his owner, the little boy, has died. The good doggy guarded him all the way to his final rest. (The Write Practice)
You wake up in the middle of the night to see a dark figure crawling across your floor.
Moments after taking off for a flight, the entire plane begins to shake dramatically. The pilot comes on the speaker and says, “This is very bad.”
You awake in a dark, small box and can hear strange noises outside.
Several weeks after buying your dream house, you start getting strange letters delivered in the mail warning you to move out.
Your dog has been acting very strangely recently. Some would say… almost human.
You stumble across a website that contains clues to some very disturbing crimes.
As you’re settling in to bed for the night, you hear an unusual scratching sound at your bedroom window.
You’re on vacation in a new city for the first time. As you walk down a busy boulevard, you suddenly look up to realize you have no idea where you are or how you got there. Come to think of it, you don’t even know who you are.
On your way to work, you notice that no one is driving on roads. The busy rush hour traffic is nonexistent, and there are no people walking around, either. It’s just you. What’s going on?
You discover, much too late, that your downstairs neighbor is a cannibal.
During a renovation of your home, you and your spouse find human remains underneath your back porch – a crime that you are now being charged with.

What are some children’s writing prompts?

Your dog begins speaking in a human voice one morning.
The sky turns purple.
Your best friend’s head turns into a mushroom.
Dinosaurs come back to earth.
You and your family rescue a turtle who was hit by a car and nurse him back to health.
You turn into a goldfish.
What would happen if you could turn any food into cotton candy?
Rain turns into soda.
Your family adopts a pet monkey.
The new kid at school wants to be your friend, but you’re very shy.
You and your boy scout troop get lost in the middle of the forest.
Your parents tell you they’ll give you $20 if you eat your vegetables with every dinner. Do you do it?
Write about a special memory from your childhood.
What parent were you closest do? What are some of your favorite memories of spending time with them?
Write about yourself at age five.
Write about yourself at age ten.
What was your greatest dream when you were a child?
Write about your favorite childhood pet.
Get inspiration for your writing by thinking about a vacation you took as a child.
What would happen if you woke up one day and kids ruled the world?
Tell the story of a child who has just transferred to a new school.
Tell the story of a platypus.
Imagine running away with a group of your childhood best friends – where would you go?
Dream up your own imaginary world.
Children’s books are known for their fun and creativity. What’s the craziest, kookiest new breed of animal you can imagine?
Give advice to new parents.
Give advice to your younger self.
Imagine what it would be like to live in a world where instead of taking the school bus, you ride a dragon to classes!
Write about your favorite childhood game.
Tell the story of a family who decides to hire a new babysitter or nanny.
Your parents tell you one day that you’re going to be a big sister – but you really like being the only child!
If the world could be any color, what would you want it to be?
If you could taste a specific flavor any time you ate something, what would you want it to be?
Describe a trip to the zoo with your class.
You and your best friends get to leave school to have lunch anywhere in town. Pizza, candy – anything! Tell the story of where you go.
Tell the story of your first time at summer camp.
Tell the story of your first time away from home.
What if we lived in a world where kids were treated like adults? And adults were treated like kids?
Take a spin at your very own Dr. Suess-esque book and use rhymes to tell a kooky, crazy story!
You’re in charge of babysitting your little sibling for the first time.
You decide to run away from home – what are some of the challenges that you face?
Picture a world where everything is upside down! What’s life like for you?
Write a book advising children on how to overcome adversity.
Write a book advising children on how to be a good friend.
Write a book advising children on how to be a kind sibling.
Bobby the Bunny wants to make friends with a fox pup who recently lost its family.
A giraffe and an ostrich live together in a zoo, where they bond over similar neck characteristics and learn how to play one another’s games.
A dragon wants to be loved and befriended, but every time he farts, fire erupts from his rear end.
Bruce the German Shepherd loves to run through the woods with his human. When he and his human get separated from one another, Bruce has to learn from his forest friends how to get back home.
Tell the story of the tooth fairy… Imagine that she just started her job and has to be trained.

What are some young adult writing prompts?

It’s your first day of middle school. But when you’re half human, half dragon, that makes things a little tough.
What happens when you begin working at the same yogurt shop as your crush?
Both of your parents die in a car accident, leaving you an orphan who gets shipped off to your mysterious aunt’s house in Europe.
One day you find out that you never have to return to high school. What do you decide to do instead?
You’re chosen to go on a school trip to Africa where you’ll be helping to build wells. You’ve never been out of the country, though, and are worried.
Your mom disappears one day, and you never see her again.
Tell the story of the best high school summer of your life.
Your boyfriend gets in a horrible car accident and ends up in the ICU. Another girl is found in the car with him, too – but she died. Who is she?
You find out that your brother is adopted.
During her freshman year of college, she found out that people in her dorm started to disappear. Almost from thin air.
A group of high school freshmen learn that the teachers and administrators at their boarding school are actually human like AI working towards the Singularity and human enslavement. If they don’t act fast, the robots win.
A group of at-risk teenagers are on an overnight camping trip with a wilderness counseling group in Badlands National Park when an arctic blast forces them out of a blizzard and into a cave. On day three, their counselors go out in search for help – and never return.
Your high school sweetheart dumps you suddenly because of something you posted on social media. But you didn’t post it, and you have to figure out just how different – and difficult – your life is now that you’ve been hacked.
Imagine that the world is run amok with vampires. Or zombies. Or authoritarian dictatorships in a dystopian future.
In the near future, climate change has led to the extinction of butterfly and bee pollinators. A small group of teen geniuses band together to develop autonomous, robotic insects to replicate the functions of insect pollination before the global food shortage turns from disastrous to extinction-level.
You find out that your best friend’s dad is responsible for the growing number of missing people in your hometown. How do you get everyone to believe you?
You did it – after years of hard work and try outs, you finally won the coveted spot on the football team. But here’s the thing – you’re the first girl to ever play.
One night you wake up to find yourself levitating over your bed. The next morning, strange wings start to grow from your shoulders. Are you turning into some sort of mystical bird?
It was pretty freaky to wake up for school one morning, only to see that my parents were literally frozen into blocks of ice in the kitchen. Even freakier? Every adult in town is frozen solid, too.
A boy pursues his list of wildly ambitious New Year’s resolutions, with hilarious and touching results. (Bryn Donovan)
A girl on the swim team transforms into a part-time mermaid. (Bryn Donovan)
A group of “outsiders” become a clique that eventually excludes others. (Bryn Donovan)
A girl’s favorite author plagiarizes her fanfiction. (Bryn Donovan)
A boy learns who believed his sister died finds out she’s very much alive. (Bryn Donovan)
A teenager’s best friend goes missing—and is widely believed to be the murderer of a family member. (Bryn Donovan)
Two teens begin to write a fantasy novel together and then cross over into the world they’ve created. (Bryn Donovan)
In a dystopian future, college admissions boards have access to video footage of students’ entire lives. (Bryn Donovan)
A girl always hangs out at a particular little nook at the library. Then the same boy starts taking the space every day. (Bryn Donovan)
A boy learns something terrible about his parents.(Bryn Donovan)
In a modern-day Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, three girls ditch class for a day filled with adventures. (Bryn Donovan)
35. A girl who wants to be a virgin until she gets married faces social pressure about her decision. (Bryn Donovan)
A teen gains the ability to take the form of any other person she chooses. (Bryn Donovan)
A girl’s science fair project yields results that attract the government’s attention. (Bryn Donovan)
A teen’s suspicions about a teacher lead him to conduct a private investigation. (Bryn Donovan)
A girl struggles with the decision to tell authorities about what the star quarterback did. (Bryn Donovan)
Soon after a boy was born, his father went missing. Now, a skeleton has been discovered in the basement of their former home. (Bryn Donovan)
You check out a book from the library and discover that it’s telling the story of your life. Do you decide to read ahead and find out what happens, or let it be a surprise?
Your beloved dog goes missing, resulting in a cross-country chase to reunite her with your family.
Put yourself in your favorite anime or manga series. What type of character would you play?
You and your best friends have been playing in a band in your mom’s garage for years. Now you’ve gotten discovered by a major Hollywood scout, but they only want you to go on to fame.
Some friends go to an escape room only to discover it’s being run by one of the most elusive serial killers in history.
After going to see the circus with your parents, you decide to run away to join the troupe. What act do you take on?
What would you tell your younger self as a teenager? What do you wish you had done differently, or not done at all?
What would your younger self tell you now? What would they think about your life?
Tell the story of someone who switches places with themself as a 14-year-old.
Think Princess Diaries – you’ve just found out you’re part royal with a massive inheritance to look forward to. What changes about your life?
A small spaceship crash lands in your backyard with nothing inside but an instruction manual on how to rebuild the aircraft. Do you take it back into space?
You have the power to shift into whatever creature you want – bear, wolf, etc. When do you choose to utilize your powers?
What would happen if you changed places with a rockstar?
Your big brother has always been the more successful, studious one of the family. You’ve finally got a chance to prove yourself and one up him – how do you do it?

How to use AI for writing prompts?

While that list was extensive, we understand that authors might need more specific prompts. For example, maybe your prompt needs to include exact examples and a more tailored answer specifically for your characters and story. That’s where Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT can be useful.

By engaging with ChatGPT in a conversation, users can specify their preferences and receive prompts that align with their interests. Whether you’re seeking prompts for fiction, non-fiction, or even poetry, ChatGPT can inspire and spark ideas that you may not have considered otherwise.

With its ability to understand context and generate coherent text, ChatGPT writing prompts can be a valuable tool for writers of all levels.

Some example questions authors can use in ChatGPT to create specific writing prompts include: “I’m looking for a fantasy prompt set in a magical forest with a protagonist on a quest for a lost artifact.” or “I need a mystery prompt set in a small town where a series of strange occurrences unravel a dark secret. Can you provide a compelling scenario?” You could even use some of the 500 prompts above and add them to ChatGPT and ask it to create some similar variations. The possibilities are endless!

There you have it, we hope these 500 writing prompts help you on your way to publishing your next book . For more resources on self-publishing, book marketing, and general indie author trends, make sure you check out these resources . You can also sign up for our free author newsletter to stay up to date on the latest news.

Note: This blog post was updated on 4/25/2024

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49 comments on “ 500 writing prompts to help beat writer’s block ”.

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Thanks for sharing the prompt ideas! I am thinking to start writing a book since a long time. But I wasn’t getting any good heads. Your article has helped to understand my area of interest, especially in which I can write a book successfully.

very nice story I like it

Writer’s doubts never end here is a way to solve this issue with 500 writing prompts. It is such a research based and praiseworthy blog, it is a must read. Thank you for this article! This is really very informative for us.

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With all 500 of these, I should have no trouble finding something to write about. Thanks so much for these prompts.

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My friends and I are doing a competition to see who is the best FANTASY writer. Here’s the catch, you need to include twins, homeless people and abused animals in your story. Plz help???

Hi Ebony! Maybe try a slightly post-apocalyptic slant? I know that subgenre can veer on Science Fiction (instead of Fantasy) but you could definitely apply those required themes to a post-apoc story.

Urban fantasy set in a modern day. The protagonist is a homeless person who has a pet dove-griffin (also called winged rats). One day, he is assaulted and they take his companion, leaving him for dead. He survives, and uses his background as a hunter to track down the people who wronged him, stumbling in the process upon a ring of fantasy animal traffickers called the Chain of Cerberus, which is ruled by three brothers, triplets. He has to fight against all odds using his skills and save his only friend and companion.

The secret motivation for the protagonist is atonement for his past as a hunter, since he helped rich people (like the Triplets) to capture the fantastic animals they were after.

I call it ‘Fantasy John Wick’

Thank you for sharing such a wealth of prompts! These are fantastic. What a tough job to choose 500! If you’re interested in more open-ended prompts (just to switch it up), check out my instagram for (almost) daily writing prompts as well: @sharp.writer .

This is the complete list of writing prompts over the internet. Thanks for sharing.

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SoI made like a short script bit of a prompt like the one bout you looking in a mirror to see something that does not look like you.

Its 5 o’clock in the morning. As I came out of my cream sheets with speckles of generally grey all around, I fixed my bed. From patting down pillows to rearranging my duvet for the most part placing my silk pretty black blanket to definitely finish it off. I basically was heading for the fridge to get the creamer for coffee when I stared into the actually metal fridge looking for my reflection but instead kind of found that something looking back at me and it was not my reflection, which really is quite weird. Its kind of looked nothing like me, or so I thought. I really tried to really come up with excuses; I am in a daze, I am still half-asleep, I for the most part am asleep. IT CAN’T BE. I said, until I saw that it can. But that thing in the mirror particularly was scaring me because it stared back at me and it was waving now in a kind of like I AM WATCHING YOU kind of way. but before I could do anything it….

I found your blog very helpful in my writing project someday. Thank you for sharing your wonderful article.

I’m so glad this was helpful to you, Monique. You’re very welcome!

I have been reading posts regarding this topic and this post is one of the most interesting and informative one I have read. Thank you for this!

You’re very welcome, Patricia!

i need to do a story in which the main character is a demigod (as in percy jackson yknow) and i don’t know what to write.

Here’s one you might enjoy , Anika! Found on the #demigod prompts Tumblr page.

This is an excellent list of prompts! For me, though, I don’t lack story ideas or character scenarios. After plotting out my story, I tend to get stalled after a few chapters or in a particular scene, even when I have a good conflict for the characters to work through. ****** I found this great little book on Amazon called “What Would Your Character Do?” It really helped me because the prompts are designed to get you brainstorming about your character’s next actions when you’re stuck in a scene. I can always find a prompt in the book to get me unstuck! I’ll definitely share this particular list with my writer friends though!

Great recommendation, Jackie! Thanks for sharing

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thank you for these prompts. they really helped with my writer’s block

these are so helpful! I’ve been trying to figure out how to continue my dystopian story for weeks then I found this website! I can’t wait to continue working!

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Thank you so much for compiling such an array of prompts. Reading through these and of course changing them up in my head has me scrambling to write again. Have a Blessed Day!

Was looking for some takes regarding this topic and I found your article quite informative. It has given me a fresh perspective on the topic tackled. Thanks!

What a great list of writing prompts. I have saved this page to share with my writing partner. I am sure we will use some of these.

Hello! I wanted to ask you, if I am allowed to use some of you prompts. (of course I will give credits to you and add a link to this site). I am leader for a community on an app called Amino, it’s quite similar to Instagram, where the member can post some stuff. I wanted to post some writing prompts, since everyone there likes to write. So I wantet do aks, if i can use some of your prompts. (And sorry for my bad english, I have a german community there, since I speak german…)

Absolutely, please feel free to share and we would appreciate linking back!

Of course I do, thank you!

This was so helpful! Every prompt in this article was amazing You’ve really outdone yourself Kelsey!!!!!<3

This is extremely helpful. I am in 2nd year of high school and struggle with writers-block. I decided to do number three in the ‘horror’ section, and the options written in this article are extremely ‘flexible’ — there is a prompt for everyone. Thank you.

These writing prompts are fun! Thanks for putting it all together.

I’ve started several books. None completed, Although a few stories were published in a small town newspaper. A couple of years ago I began a book when the work came to an abrupt end. My husband fell off the roof. Now, after 2 years, I find myself wanting to write, but stymied as how to pick up where I left off. I’ve read your prompts. Some of the fiction, thriller, mystery and prompts in other areas have been true life experiences for me. Now, as I stand in the aftermath of the train that hit me, in need of a battery jump to restart, I have hopefully found a way forward.

I absolutely loved these! Thanks so much! Writing prompts really help me keep the wheels turning.

Thanks so much for these amazing prompts! I had nailed down a genre and topic but needed some help getting down to the nitty gritty specifics. You saved the day (and my essay). Thank you!

I am impressed with your sharing. Helpful for new writers. Thanks for your share.

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Unbeatable listing. A lot of quality and tremendous compilation.

I love these prompts! They help me get started when I’m feeling stuck.

I have all the actual writing material I need, but I am using writing prompts to get myself in the zone for writing. This list is outstanding. It’s a bit of a struggle to stop perusing because there are so many that entice me. I’m pretty sure that many of these will little warm-ups will end up in my Ideas file. Thanks so much for this.

To the prompt about scientists figuring out how to extend life but someone has to die:

The mail held a few worthless ads, nothing to be worried about. But then my heart stopped at the sight of a letter. My hands trembled as I took it out of the box. I wracked my brain for ways to escape. If I never read it, could I claim ignorance? No, it would never work. Shakily I tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper inside. When it began with “We sorrowfully regret to inform you,” I recognized the words from my sister’s letter and the grief came flooding back. Half for her and half for myself. I wasn’t ready to let go of the wonderful life I had. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. But it didn’t matter. Getting this letter meant I was going to die, and it also meant that I had no choice.

Just a blurb. Thoughts?

These gave me some great ideas!

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10 Gifts That Will Cure the Author in Your Life's Writer's Block

I f you have a writer or author in your life that you need to get a gift for and aren’t really sure where to start then I have good news for you! Because today I have a list of 10 great gift ideas for authors. And as somebody who works as a writer full time I can personally vouch for all of the entries on this list. Writing can be a complicated artform that isn’t always well understood by people who aren’t engaged in it. So I tried to pick out some great gifts that I think any writer out there will appreciate. And on top of that I made sure to have a couple more extravagant gifts on the list along with plenty of gifts that will be affordable for people on any type of budget. That way there is something for everybody on this list.

1 - A Nice Keyboard for Them to Type On

This is a real quality of life improvement that they’ll appreciate.

Grab yourself a Best Buy gift card by following the link!

As somebody who writes professionally I can tell you that it is way easier for me to type on the big keyboard I have at my desk than it is to type on the smaller keyboard on my laptop. So if you know an author and you really want to improve their lives, get them a keyboard with plenty of room and you can even get special keyboards with wrist rest to help cut down on tendon strain while they are typing. Most of us type a little bit throughout the day, but I bet for most of us the majority of our written words in the day are done on a smartphone. So you might not realize just how taxing it can be on your hands to type for 8 hours a day. Especially on a keyboard that is too small for you and you keep making mistakes because it just breaks your rhythm and your flow and it makes it hard to write consistently. So totally rock their world by investing in a high-end keyboard for the author in your life!

Anybody can get a digital Amazon gift card in seconds when they follow the link!

2 - A Classic Typewriter

That way they can punch out their stories just like all their heroes.

If they are an author or a book person I bet they think typewriters are really neat. As a writer, or as somebody who is a fan of literature, particularly American literature, then a lot of what they love to read was written on typewriters. So typewriters hold a certain sort of romance in the hearts of authors and writers. All their heroes wrote on typewriters so it feels like it’s how great writing is done. And this one surprisingly won’t break your bank. If you want to find a vintage typewriter it’s totally possible to find one for around $80 to $100, and if you want to get them a brand new modern typewriter you can find one for between $100 and $150. Now those aren’t going to be the very best ones in the world, but that is the average price range you can expect.

3 - A Meal Delivery Gift Card

That way they don’t have to stop writing when they are really on a roll.

Grab an Uber Eats or DoorDash gift card by following these links!

THere’s something really interesting that happens in writing where you really get into the rhythm and the flow of the writing and the words just come spilling out of you. Like you don’t even have to think about them. The words just appear and you put them to paper as fast as you can. But with all the responsibilities in the modern world it’s really hard to reach that flowstate and maintain it because it can happen at really inconvenient times. So you can help the author in your life out by getting them a gift card to a meal delivery service. And then when they are really on a tear they don’t have to stop and make lunch or stop and make dinner. They can just keep writing while they’re feeling it and really get a lot more accomplished because of it.

4 - Barnes & Noble

Every author out there will appreciate a good book.

Grab yourself a Barnes & Noble gift card by following this link!

If they are an author then they love to read books. NObody ever became an author because they don’t love stories. The very reason they became an author is probably because they want to create a story that is as meaningful of a story for them as a story they encountered meant to them when they first fell in love with reading. So you can hit up your local Barnes & Noble or independent bookstore and get all sorts of amazing books that your author friend will love!

Let Them Choose From Almost Unlimited Audiobooks

Get an Apple gift card in just seconds by following the link!

This one can be a little hit or miss. But you can get them an Apple gift card and get them unlimited streaming of millions of audiobooks. And the reason I say this one can be really hit or miss is that because of the bookish people I know and the writers I know, everybody has really polarizing opinions on audiobooks. Some book people absolute love and for others they are the absolute worst thing you can do to a book in their mind. So find out if they like audiobooks first and if they do you can set them up with an account to stream millions of them!

Help Them Relax Their Mind And Get Into the Perfect Writing Flowstate

Grab a Calm gift card by following the link!

One of the things that’s most difficult as a writer is clearing your mind from all the other thoughts that you have and focusing strictly on the narrative you are putting down in front of you. So one great way to help kick start that process is by calming your mind first. So if you have an author friend you can set up an account with Calm and they can use it to play white noise, nature sounds, and even guided meditations to help them clear their mind and really focus on their craft. And let’s be honest, if they are an author they probably deal with a fair amount of anxiety as a lot of bookish people tend to and Calm will help with that as well so it's really quite an effective gift for an author!

7 - Bath & Body Works

Help them curate the perfect writing environment.

Get a Bath & Body Works gift card

Another great way to help them relax and clear their mind is by putting together a care P{package from Bath & BOdy Works. You can get everything you need at Bath & Body Works to help make your home smell amazing and relaxing. So put them together a little gift basket with candles and air fresheners that are designed to help calm their mind and then you have a pretty great gift put together for your author friend.

8 - Yankee Candle

Help them relax and get in the zone with a couple of custom candles.

Grab a Yankee Candle gift card by following this link!

Yankee Candle is kind of the same idea as Bath & Body Works. The only big difference is that at Yankee Candle you can get custom candles made for just five bucks a pop. So pick out like three of their favorite scents and then find pictures with quotes from some of their favorite authors and you can make that the front label on the candle. And then every time they go to burn it they’ll be inspired by a quote from one of their heroes which makes this a gift that just keeps on giving!

9 - Spotify

Let them create the perfect writing playlist or let them choose from over 200,000 audiobooks.

Grab yourself a Spotify gift card by following this link!

A gift card to Spotify is another great way to get them access to millions of audiobooks. But again, just check and make sure they like audiobooks first because they are not for everyone. But in addition to that Spotify als has over 100 million different tracks they can stream so if they like to listen to music while they write you will have really hooked them up.

10 - A Custom Visa Gift Card

That they can use to shop anywhere they’d like to stock up on writing supplies.

Get a Visa gift card in just seconds by following the link!

If nothing else on the list looked right then you can try one of these prepaid Visa gift cards. The nice thing about these cards is that they can be used at any business that accepts Visa. So your author friend could use it down at his favorite independent bookstore to help support a business that he really loves!

This article originally appeared on Giftya.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

The Best Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024

Help your students take their writing to the next level.

When students write for teachers, it can feel like an assignment. When they write for a real purpose, they are empowered! Student writing contests are a challenging and inspiring way to try writing for an authentic audience— a real panel of judges —and the possibility of prize money or other incentives. We’ve gathered a list of the best student writing contests, and there’s something for everyone. Prepare highly motivated kids in need of an authentic writing mentor, and watch the words flow.

1. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

With a wide range of categories—from critical essays to science fiction and fantasy—The Scholastic Awards are a mainstay of student contests. Each category has its own rules and word counts, so be sure to check out the options before you decide which one is best for your students.

How To Enter

Students in grades 7-12, ages 13 and up, may begin submitting work in September by uploading to an online account at Scholastic and connecting to their local region. There are entry fees, but those can be waived for students in need.

2. YoungArts National Arts Competition

This ends soon, but if you have students who are ready to submit, it’s worth it. YoungArts offers a national competition in the categories of creative nonfiction, novel, play or script, poetry, short story, and spoken word. Student winners may receive awards of up to $10,000 as well as the chance to participate in artistic development with leaders in their fields.

YoungArts accepts submissions in each category through October 13. Students submit their work online and pay a $35 fee (there is a fee waiver option).

3. National Youth Foundation Programs

Each year, awards are given for Student Book Scholars, Amazing Women, and the “I Matter” Poetry & Art competition. This is a great chance for kids to express themselves with joy and strength.

The rules, prizes, and deadlines vary, so check out the website for more info.

4. American Foreign Service National High School Essay Contest

If you’re looking to help students take a deep dive into international relations, history, and writing, look no further than this essay contest. Winners receive a voyage with the Semester at Sea program and a trip to Washington, DC.

Students fill out a registration form online, and a teacher or sponsor is required. The deadline to enter is the first week of April.

5. John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest

This annual contest invites students to write about a political official’s act of political courage that occurred after Kennedy’s birth in 1917. The winner receives $10,000, and 16 runners-up also receive a variety of cash prizes.

Students may submit a 700- to 1,000-word essay through January 12. The essay must feature more than five sources and a full bibliography.

6. Bennington Young Writers Awards

Bennington College offers competitions in three categories: poetry (a group of three poems), fiction (a short story or one-act play), and nonfiction (a personal or academic essay). First-place winners receive $500. Grab a poster for your classroom here .

The contest runs from September 1 to November 1. The website links to a student registration form.

7. The Princeton Ten-Minute Play Contest

Looking for student writing contests for budding playwrights? This exclusive competition, which is open only to high school juniors, is judged by the theater faculty of Princeton University. Students submit short plays in an effort to win recognition and cash prizes of up to $500. ( Note: Only open to 11th graders. )

Students submit one 10-page play script online or by mail. The deadline is the end of March. Contest details will be published in early 2024.

8. Princeton University Poetry Contest for High School Students

The Leonard L. Milberg ’53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding work by student writers in 11th grade. Prizes range from $100 to $500.

Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall.

9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest

This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work. They’ve even made a classroom poster !

Submissions need to be made electronically by November 1.

10. Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

The deadline for this contest is the end of October. Sponsored by Hollins University, the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest awards prizes for the best poems submitted by young women who are sophomores or juniors in high school or preparatory school. Prizes include cash and scholarships. Winners are chosen by students and faculty members in the creative writing program at Hollins.

Students may submit either one or two poems using the online form.

11. The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers

The Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is open to high school sophomores and juniors, and the winner receives a full scholarship to a Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop .

Submissions for the prize are accepted electronically from November 1 through November 30.

12. Jane Austen Society Essay Contest

High school students can win up to $1,000 and publication by entering an essay on a topic specified by the Jane Austen Society related to a Jane Austen novel.

Details for the 2024 contest will be announced in November. Essay length is from six to eight pages, not including works cited.

13. Rattle Young Poets Anthology

Open to students from 15 to 18 years old who are interested in publication and exposure over monetary awards.

Teachers may choose five students for whom to submit up to four poems each on their behalf. The deadline is November 15.

14. The Black River Chapbook Competition

This is a chance for new and emerging writers to gain publication in their own professionally published chapbook, as well as $500 and free copies of the book.

There is an $18 entry fee, and submissions are made online.

15. YouthPlays New Voices

For students under 18, the YouthPlays one-act competition is designed for young writers to create new works for the stage. Winners receive cash awards and publication.

Scroll all the way down their web page for information on the contest, which accepts non-musical plays between 10 and 40 minutes long, submitted electronically. Entries open each year in January.

16. The Ocean Awareness Contest

The 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, Tell Your Climate Story , encourages students to write their own unique climate story. They are asking for creative expressions of students’ personal experiences, insights, or perceptions about climate change. Students are eligible for a wide range of monetary prizes up to $1,000.

Students from 11 to 18 years old may submit work in the categories of art, creative writing, poetry and spoken word, film, interactive media and multimedia, or music and dance, accompanied by a reflection. The deadline is June 13.

17. EngineerGirl Annual Essay Contest

Each year, EngineerGirl sponsors an essay contest with topics centered on the impact of engineering on the world, and students can win up to $500 in prize money. This contest is a nice bridge between ELA and STEM and great for teachers interested in incorporating an interdisciplinary project into their curriculum. The new contest asks for pieces describing the life cycle of an everyday object. Check out these tips for integrating the content into your classroom .

Students submit their work electronically by February 1. Check out the full list of rules and requirements here .

18. NCTE Student Writing Awards

The National Council of Teachers of English offers several student writing awards, including Achievement Awards in Writing (for 10th- and 11th-grade students), Promising Young Writers (for 8th-grade students), and an award to recognize Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.

Deadlines range from October 28 to February 15. Check out NCTE.org for more details.

19. See Us, Support Us Art Contest

Children of incarcerated parents can submit artwork, poetry, photos, videos, and more. Submissions are free and the website has a great collection of past winners.

Students can submit their entries via social media or email by October 25.

20. The Adroit Prizes for Poetry & Prose

The Adroit Journal, an education-minded nonprofit publication, awards annual prizes for poetry and prose to exceptional high school and college students. Adroit charges an entry fee but also provides a form for financial assistance.

21. National PTA Reflections Awards

The National PTA offers a variety of awards, including one for literature, in their annual Reflections Contest. Students of all ages can submit entries on the specified topic to their local PTA Reflections program. From there, winners move to the local area, state, and national levels. National-level awards include an $800 prize and a trip to the National PTA Convention.

This program requires submitting to PTAs who participate in the program. Check your school’s PTA for their deadlines.

22. World Historian Student Essay Competition

The World Historian Student Essay Competition is an international contest open to students enrolled in grades K–12 in public, private, and parochial schools, as well as those in home-study programs. The $500 prize is based on an essay that addresses one of this year’s two prompts.

Students can submit entries via email or regular mail before May 1.

23. NSHSS Creative Writing Scholarship

The National Society of High School Scholars awards three $2,000 scholarships for both poetry and fiction. They accept poetry, short stories, and graphic novel writing.

Apply online by October 31.

Whether you let your students blog, start a podcast or video channel, or enter student writing contests, giving them an authentic audience for their work is always a powerful classroom choice.

If you like this list of student writing contests and want more articles like it, subscribe to our newsletters to find out when they’re posted!

Plus, check out our favorite anchor charts for teaching writing..

Are you looking for student writing contests to share in your classroom? This list will give students plenty of opportunities.

Best Student Contests and Competitions for 2023

Best 2024 Competitions for Students in Grades K-12

Competitions in STEM, ELA and the arts, and more! Continue Reading

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What Is Writer's Block? How to Overcome Writer's Block With Step-by
Ever found yourself staring at a blank page for long periods of time, trying to write but being unable to find the right words? You're not alone. This is writer's block, and all writers struggle with it, from journalists to novelists. Overcoming writer's block is a delicate process that is often highly subjective and depends on each individual. But, at the end of the day, it is about ...
Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block
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.
Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block
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.
Writer's Block: What Causes Writer's Block, and How to Overcome It
What Causes Writer's Block. In the 1970s, two researchers at Yale studied writer's block, and concluded that it had four main causes: Feeling constrained and creatively blocked by the "rules" of writing. Seeking external validation and attention through one's writing, and becoming disappointed and angry if not getting it.
Overcoming Writer's Block: Strategies To Keep Your Essay Flowing
Writer's block is a common issue where the flow of words gets disrupted. It makes the pressure to write even more overwhelming. It is often called the 'desert seasons' of writing. During this ...
How To Overcome Writer's Block (20 Tricks That Really Work)
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.
Writer's Block: How to Overcome Writing Constipation
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.
How to Overcome Writer's Block in Simple Steps
Implement the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused writing followed by a 5-minute break. During your break, step away from your writing space. Engage in non-writing activities like stretching, a quick walk, or a brief meditation. These short breaks can refresh your mind and improve focus.
What Is Writer's Block? with 15+ Ways to Beat It for Good
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.)
How to Beat Writer's Block
March 11, 2016. Graham Greene kept a dream journal to help ward off writer's block. Photograph by Rene Saint Paul / RDA / Everett. In 1920, a sixteen-year-old Graham Greene decided that, after ...
How to Cure Writer's Block: 23 Proven Ideas that Actually Work
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.
Academic Guides: Writing a Paper: Writer's Block
Summarize your own work. In the margins of your paper (or using comment bubbles), write a one-sentence summary of the purpose of each paragraph. Review your summaries to get a clearer idea of your direction, the overall flow of the paper, and how far you still need to go. Take another look. Ask yourself a few questions:
Conquering Writer's Block
Strategies for beating Writer's Block: Freewrite. Sit down and write whatever comes to mind. Set a time limit for yourself, fifteen minutes, an hour, two hours, etc. Don't leave your computer until you've finished this time period. You can do the same thing with page limits. Let yourself freewrite for two pages, five pages, or ten.
The Writing Center
What is writer's block anyway? It is an anxiety we feel when we are unable to transfer ideas from our heads to the page. It is a feeling of inadequacy—that whatever we write will be unoriginal, unimaginative, or have very little value. It is a temporary state in which we are so overwhelmed with the expectations of an assignment, instructor ...
15 Key Tips For How To Overcome Writer's Block
Maintain a quiet environment by turning TVs and other background noises off. 14. Leverage mind mapping. Mind mapping is another effective way to learn how to deal with writer's block. To create a mind map, choose a main topic and write it in the center of your paper. Then, create subtopics around it.
4 Proven Ways to Keep Writer's Block From Ruining Your Essay
Second, don't sit there complaining or whining. Complaining gets you nowhere and won't help writer's block. Period. And third, don't simply wait around to be inspired. Yeah, you might get inspired sooner or later, but your essay is due in a few days. You probably don't have time to wait for your muse.
Writer's Block
Fair-Use Policy. Writing is never a smooth process, and most successful writing proceeds in fits and starts. Writer's block refers to those greater-than-ordinary blockages. It occurs when a writer feels truly stuck and unable to write. There are many possible causes, including anxiety, stress, or a simple lack of understanding of the material.
How to Overcome Writer's Block
The first step when unsure how to get out of writer's block is to create an environment conducive to writing. This means setting aside a specific space and time for writing, free from distractions such as phones, TVs, and other devices. If possible, try to write at the same place and time each day, as this will help establish a routine and make ...
Overcoming Writer's Block in College Essays
The project appears futile and you see no way you'll complete it in time. This is also known as writer's block: a problem that plagues college essay writers, especially during the finals week. Fortunately, almost all students get past this difficult point and complete the paper on time, even if it calls for an all-nighter.
Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block
As the research suggests, freewriting, goal setting, cognitive restructuring, optimizing writing rituals, and seeking collaborative support are effective approaches to address writer's block ...
Definition and Examples of Writer's Block
Updated on July 03, 2019. Writer's block is a condition in which a skilled writer with the desire to write finds herself unable to write. The expression writer's block was coined and popularized by American psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler in the 1940s. "In other ages and cultures," says Alice Flaherty in The Midnight Disease, "writers were not ...
500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer's Block
Writing prompts are a great way to beat writer's block. Check out our easy-to-use list of 500 writing prompts, sorted by genre. Promote. Email Promos; Amazon Ads; Facebook Ads; Readers' List; Limelight; ... Write the beginning of the essay. (The Write Practice) Time travel works, but only once in a person's life. Write from the perspective ...
Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab
Mission. The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives.
Writer's block
A representation of writer's block by Leonid Pasternak (1862-1945). Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown.. Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming up with original ideas to being unable to produce work for years.
How do you get over writer's block? : r/writing
After knowing and understanding the reasons fro writer's block, my next step was to look for solution to overcome the block. Make a list of everything you loved about your story and try to keep those reasons in your sight. This helps to make the connection. No one writes a best seller book by aiming to do so.
5 Strategies To Unlock Your Winning College Essay
The best essays have clear, coherent language and are free of errors. The story is clearly and specifically told. After drafting, take the time to revise and polish your writing. Seek feedback ...
I Let Extended Family Back Into My Life. They Were ...
My writing teacher and mentor Susan Shapiro, author of The Byline Bible: Get Published In 5 Weeks, often uses a quirky, eye-catching line in her bio: Susan Shapiro is the bestselling author of several books her family hates. (My Writer Success Story Began With Getting Over Myself.)Indeed, Shapiro practices what she preaches to her students. She writes vulnerable, raw, and relatable essays and ...
10 Gifts That Will Cure the Author in Your Life's Writer's Block
Help Them Curate The Perfect Writing Environment. Get a Bath & Body Works gift card. Another great way to help them relax and clear their mind is by putting together a care P {package from Bath ...
The Big List of Student Writing Contests for 2023-2024
Students in 11th grade can submit their poetry. Contest details will be published this fall. 9. The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest. This contest is also a wonderful writing challenge, and the New York Times includes lots of resources and models for students to be able to do their best work.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Your chancing factors

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

Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block On Your College Essay

2. Respond to Brainstorm Questions

3. Talk It Out With A Friend

4. Read a Memoir or Listen To a Podcast

5. Change Your Environment

6. Get Some Exercise

7. Use a Pen and Paper

8. Work On A Different Section

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Overcoming Writer’s Block: Strategies To Keep Your Essay Flowing

Understand The Root Of Your Writer’s Block

Break Through Mental Blocks

Take Breaks

Try Brainstorming

Set Realistic Goals

Eliminate Distractions

Surround Yourself With Inspiration

Use Writing Prompts

Seek Feedback And Collaboration

Markus Reily

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

What Is Writer’s Block?

Writer’s Block Symptoms

What Causes Writer’s Block?

How To Overcome Writer’s Block: The Complete System

Step 1: Identify The Type of Writer’s Block

Character Confusion

Emotional Blockage

Too Many Ideas

What Happens Next?

Pain Point

Step 2: Apply the Correct Solution

Step 3: Test the Effect

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

Step 5: Retest the Results

How Long Does Writer’s Block Last?

This Is How Not To Overcome Writer’s Block

Final Thoughts: How To Overcome Writer’s Block

Writer's Block: How to Overcome Writing Constipation

What is Writer's Block?

10 Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

1. Determine the root of the problem

2. List your favorite books and writers

3. Build a solid routine

4. Write it badly at first

5. Find a different way into the story

6. Start in the middle

7. Optimize your toolkit

8. Write something else

9. Do something other than writing

Creativity breeds creativity

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

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How to Overcome Writer’s Block