8 Ways to Cure Your Writer’s Block

And Get Unstuck Fast

If you have serious ADHD, figure out if what’s going on is ADHD or Writer’s Block. Even though both involve not writing, the causes are different.

To simplify, Writer’s Block is when you can’t think of words to write. Or which chapters to put in what order. Or what to do with the heroine of your short story at this point.

Or you’re procrastinating because you think your writing is awful. No one will read it. You don’t feel like writing today. The story is stupid. Your writing may not be going very well and you feel stuck, but you are focused on your writing.

With ADHD staying focused on the writing is the challenge. With ADHD, you may be able to think of words to write, lots of words to write but wait . . . who just drove up across the street in that grey, beat-up van.

You go to the window to see, and then you wonder if your husband fed the cat so you text him and while you’re waiting for him to respond, you check your email. Oops,you were working on your Medium story. But wait, which story was it? You’re working on several at the same time.

Follow these easy suggestions to move our of Writer’s Block.

1. Is the story something you really want to write about?

Maybe your neighbor suggests writing about your mother who was a well-known educator in her community, and you run with it. You know that “education” is a curating topic on Medium.

Or you think you should write about parenting because you have kids, and parenting is also curating topic on Medium.

If you’d much rather write about gardening than your mother as an educator or you as parent, go for gardening! (Since there’s no curating topic for gardening, use tags for curating topics such as life, self, lifestyle.)

Unless you’re a professional ghostwriter, writing about something you aren’t interested in will show in your writing.

Please don’t write about something you think you should write about or someone else thinks you should. Good writing comes from the heart with enthusiasm. Writing about a topic your don’t want to write about is a set up for Writer’s Block.

2. Start writing the next paragraph before you go to bed

Stop in the middle of the paragraph — even the middle of a sentence. And definitely in the middle of a section.

If you have a tendency to get stuck, the middle of a sentence sentence or paragraph gives you a jump start. It’s easier to start writing in the middle than to start a new chapter.

3. Don’t worry about grammar

Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation or length of paragraphs. Just write. You can fix everything later when you edit and proofread. You’ll fix more when you read it out loud.

4. Make a list or a detailed outline

Use a list or outline for writing prompts. Use it to help keep you on track. Use to track your progress and get that good feeling when you cross out a finished story or book chapter on your list. A table of contents is a big help if you’re writing a book.

The list of chapters or your list can change. If a list, outline, or table of contents doesn’t change, it probably should. As you write, you’ll make shifts in terms of what to include, where a certain piece would be better in a different chapter or needs a paragraph moved.

The more detailed your list or outline is, the easier it is to avoid Writer’s Block. If you use a Table of Contents, fill in each chapter with sub-headings or sections. (Sometimes such a detailed T of C with links appears in eBooks.)

5. Skip to a part where the words come more easily

No rule says you must go in the order of your outline or list. If you start with the hardest or the part that needs research, you can easily send yourself into Writer’s Block. Start with the easiest and quickest. Now you can congratulate yourself for a job well done sooner. Your brain likes that.

6. Congratulate yourself on what you’ve written

Giving yourself a pat on the back helps you move forward. Beating yourself up for what you haven’t written yet causes Writer’s Block. It’s fine to congratulate yourself for finishing something as short as a difficult paragraph.

Don’t wait until you’ve finished a chapter or a section. Acknowledge work accomplished at the end of the day . . . even though it’s not as much as you had planned to write.

Finishing a piece of writing, however small, and congratulating yourself for it increases the dopamine in your brain. Dopamine increases brain function. Increased brain function can lower Writer’s Block.

7. Curb the research

If your writing requires research, beware that it can cause writer’s block, especially for ADHDers.

I’m an historian. Historians get degrees in history because we love doing research. I also have ADHD. I can give personal testimony to the amount of time research can devour, thus taking time away from writing.

8. Evaluate your location

Would you be better writing at the kitchen table than in your office? At a corner in a coffee shop? At a picnic table in a mountain park. (This Colorado girl likes picnic table in mountain park the best, even without an internet connection!)

Sometimes just a change of scenery helps. For others, they write best at the same place, wearing the same ragged bathrobe, and sitting in the same chair. The routine signals their brain “now it’s time to write.”

Willa Cather, my favorite writer, wrote most of her novel My Antonia in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. She sat on a stool in a tent a few yards from the Shattuck Inn, overlooking Mt. Monadnock, her favorite mountain. The novel is set in Red Cloud, Nebraska and the surrounding farms. Red Cloud was home, but she couldn’t write there.

When you use these 8 suggestions for overcoming Writer’s Block, you’ll no longer have an excuse for not finishing what you’re writing!

Discover Magic Bullets for stopping Writer’s Block that don’t include using a pencil or computer keyboard at

Watch for my forthcoming book, Oh Look, There’s a Squirrel and Other Stories.

If you’d like to be added to the list to receive a free copy of a short e-book, “9 Tips for Readable Writing” and a free review of one piece you’ve written (no longer than 1,500 words), send an email to [email protected].

While you’re reading here on Medium, catch some good stories from Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Michele Thill, Alena Powell, Margaret Eves, Phil Truman, Tim Maudlin, Vickie Trancho, Alun Richards, Helen Boss, JeffHerring.com, Linda Halladay, Marjorie McDonald, Ntathu Allen, John Kremer, Nomanono Isaacs, Jacqelyn Lynn, Kelda Ytterdal,

Given raging ADHD, it’s no surprise that focus does not come to me easily! In addition to writing about writing and sometimes adoption and ADHD, I also write random stories from my life, what I’ve observed, what’s in the news, what annoys me, anything that tickles my fancy.

For a Black Lives Matter from a white perspective, see my stories For White Folks from an Old Gray-Haired White Woman with Arthritis. And Teaching Kindergarten at an all-Black school.

You might also like musings on Staying at Home because of COVID 19: The Good, The Bad, and the Not So Ugly.