Writer’s block is one of the biggest obstacles writers face when attacking their work-in-progresses. If you’re a writer like myself, you’ve probably spent hours researching the best ways to overcome this unfortunate ailment.
Picture this: The writing gods have struck you with the most incredible idea for a book. You rush to the nearest computer, notebook, or junk drawer for those left over napkins you know are somewhere. Then, just as you’re about to jot down the most amazing concept of your life . . . Writer’s Block.
This post is all about the best tips to help you overcome writer’s block and boost motivation for your work in progress.
Action Tips for Writer’s Block
1. Create a Writing Space
As writers, a large portion of our efforts go towards setting the scene, in describing the locations our characters interact with. We understand how symbolic the weather, the color of the curtains, or the very smell might impact our MCs. You can’t very well have the final battle scene at a grocery store when your heroes are meant to be saving the world, right?
The same thing can be said for writers during the writing process. How can we as writers expect to finish our bad ass manuscripts when we’ve placed ourselves in an environment that doesn’t speak to us? Professionals understand that in order to give full attention to our work we need to have a distraction-free space dedicated to our craft. Just like we’re best motivated to work in the office, or work out at the gym.
It can be helpful to think of writer’s block as an adversary with many faces. It can be mental or physical, so when attacking your block it’s important to keep in mind when trying to target what’s staunching our creative flow. Distractions like phones, the TV, or clutter can make it difficult to shift into writing-mode.
The truth is, writer’s block can rear its ugly head for many reasons, but if the vibe is off switching locations could help. Consider the setting you felt most comfortable in and build on it until you’re totally in the zone when you step into your space. Here are some places you should try to write in to find your ideal writing space:
- A coffee shop
- The Library
- Your Reading Corner
- Home Office
- In Nature
The great thing about being a writer is that our writing space can be literally anywhere, as long as it’s comfortable and speaks to you. Personally, I invested a lot of energy into setting up my writing space by decorating my home office with plants, books, and displays I adore. So whether you’re a writer that works best at home or in a cafe with an iced coffee and background noise (guilty) take time to set your scene and get to writing.
2. Craft a Writing Routine
If you were to ask what the key to living is, I would immediately respond with Time Management. It is the holy grail of productivity. This ever-elusive concept is a skill that’s broken down into three parts: Goals, Accountability, and Habits.
Yes, crafting a writing routine goes beyond the basics of picking a few days a week to work on your WIP. When dedicating time to projects, a writer should have clear ideas of the bigger picture. Set aside time to identify your goals, timelines, and motivation behind the entire book or project written. Losing motivation can be a big part of the disconnect between getting in front of the keyboard and investing time elsewhere. Having a vision board of what your life will look like once you become a published author, or a notebook filled with all the incredible things you’ll do with the money from that book deal goes a long way to keeping the mind on track during the daily grind.
Once you have a solid idea about how incredible your life will be at the finish line, grab a pen and paper. Then go through the process of creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal for your book.
S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This process is a tool that fits in every arsenal. Whether you’re working on a WIP or trying to attain a personal goal, like weight loss, be specific about what you’re trying to do. For example, I’ll finish my manuscript. Next, imagine a way to measure your success, like how many words you’ll have written by the end of a week. Then do a self-check. Scan your goal to make sure you’ve set an attainable pace.
Putting too much on your plate could cause writers to feel discouraged when they don’t maintain their momentum. We all want to see the view from the top of the mountain, but if we move too fast or burn out, we’ll push our deadline further out than we intended. Now add the part of your goal that you worked on earlier: the part that makes it relevant to YOU. Ask yourself why you’re setting your goal and write it down. Lastly, make it time-bound, set a date, and crush it.
When you finish, you should have an inspirational paragraph that speaks directly to you. Now add a few blocks to your calendar where you dedicate time to your manuscript or project.
Pro-tip: If you know some roadblocks might stand in the way of your dedicated time, plan for ways to overcome them in advance. We can’t always prepare for everything life throws at us, but the more we prepare the greater our chances are of meeting our deadlines.
As you keep to your writing routine, you will find your day-to-day actions become habits. Ultimately habit is a goal. With every new day you accomplish a few minutes of writing, you establish yourself as a confident professional with no room for writer’s block.
3. Find a Writing Partner
Accountability is a magical word! Consider how powerful it is to have a writing partner that you can bounce ideas off of and relate to when you’re feeling frustrated with your work. Having regular check-ins with your accountability partner, not only helps when you need to talk through some points on your novel, but also keeping yourself accountable to your own goals and timelines!
Try finding other partners outside of your non-writer family and friend group. Places like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok (BookTok), or online writing collectives (paid or free) are great resources to help pair off with local writers in your niche.
Creative Tips for Writer’s Block
4. Make a Mood Playlist
This is probably one of the most fun tips for getting over writer’s block. What better way to inspire writing than the perfect playlist, right? It might seem a bit unconventional, but you may find when facing a particular scene in a WIP that you’re struggling with, music may offer a bit of inspiration.
Creativity is intangible yet as writers we hold it in massive amounts, sometimes just outside of reach. Often I find music can be the bridge to the gap, recreating that emotional connection to a scene we may have lost along the way. For example, I’ve constructed a playlist on AppleMusic that I revisit when I’m writing an action scene or need to access a character in the midst of making a horrible decision. I call it Villain Mood. Whenever a song I’ve found on Tiktok or heard in passing inspires an emotion I’d like to tap into later, I throw it into a playlist.
Check out my Villain Mood playlist here.
Soft Tips for Writer’s Block
5. Take a Break (Intentionally!)
Stepping back from your manuscript can feel like a failure, but it could in fact be a huge constructive step to being you back to making progress. Think of it as taking a step sideways on the journey instead of halting altogether. The trick is to make that break a productive one through positive action.
When you’ve lost your story line, or your writing flow just isn’t there, it can be helpful to dive back into the writing basics. Try the following activities to help hone your writing skills and bring back your creative flow:
#1: Practice with writing prompts
Flexing your creative muscles with a daily writing prompts is a good habit to get into for any writer and great to revisit when you’re feeling stuck. The more you practice transcribing your thoughts onto paper the faster you’ll become at crafting intelligible sentences, thoughtful paragraphs, and later whole chapters.
#2: Read a Book
This may seem counter-productive, however many writer’s find it inspiring to read a fellow author’s work or enlightening when they’ve picked up a new concept from reference texts. (My personal library is full of how to’s on plot, character development, suspense, and more!) In fact there’s a lot to gain from studying the craftsmanship and journey of others. What better way to learn than by observing others?
It should be stipulated: One should never copy the work of a fellow writer. That said, cozying up with a thrilling novel or taking a moment to learn the best practices of symbolism could be the guiding hand that re-engages a writer with their novel.
Check out the following reference texts I use to help refresh my skills.
![Writer's Block - Reference Title
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass [Picture from Amazon]](https://i0.wp.com/jdashmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Emotional-Craft-of-Fiction.webp?resize=200%2C305&ssl=1)
![Writer's Block - Reference Title
Mastering Suspense Structure & Plot by Jane K. Cleland [Picture from Amazon]](https://i0.wp.com/jdashmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/41CxlZX9N1L._SX324_BO1204203200_.jpg?resize=200%2C305&ssl=1)
![Writer's Block - Reference Title
Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card [Picture from Amazon]](https://i0.wp.com/jdashmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Characters-Viewpoint.webp?resize=205%2C306&ssl=1)
#3: Spend a day in a Character’s Shoes
A little role play never hurt anyone right? Spending a day in the shoes of one of your characters is a great way to get into the groove of mapping out the decisions that affect your storyline. Pose questions and respond as your character would. It’s fun and may inspire some new plot points based on what you, the character, makes of their day.
Ask yourself: What would they choose to wear? What drink would they order at Starbucks? How do they feel about the ridiculous wait time? What would they decide to do with their time?
You may not feel comfortable acting out every scenario you think up or come across. That’s okay! Take a journal with you and write down how they would react. Then when you’re ready, sit down at your computer and start reacting in your story. Some of the best reads are character lead!
6. Skip a Step
It’s not generally recommended to skip a step in any procedure, BUT the beauty of story crafting is the opportunity to jump. When confronting writer’s block in the face of not knowing what comes next in your story line try jumping to another part in the story.
A completed novel is a string of scenes leading up to a beautiful ending. If you’re having trouble with one scene, try skipping to the next one. You may find it inspires you to finish the previous one. In my personal experience, the last novel I completed started in the middle. Afterwards I found myself working backward to tie the story together. Try it and see how it works for you!
7. Allow Yourself to be Imperfect
When in doubt, remember that you’re doing the hardest thing a writer can do: Writing.
Writing is hard. Allow yourself to be imperfect and give yourself grace when you stall in the creative flow. Deadlines and publishers can put a lot of pressure on writers to get things done now. When struggling as a writer, it’s important to celebrate the steps you’ve already taken and acknowledge there’s a future you out there holding that published work. So, claim it!
You are a badass, successful writer. Writer’s block may rear its ugly head now and again, but you have the tools to overcome it.
If you’ve found this blog helpful, or want to hear more from us, connect with J.D. Ashmore on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
Stay Creative,
J.D.
