Writer’s Block Doesn’t Exist

But here’s how to avoid feeling stuck

I said it, and I’ll stand by it. Writer’s block doesn’t exist. Being uninspired is what’s really happening. You can write away the ‘block’.

Some days you know what to write and it flows easily like water out of the faucet. Other days your tap is clogged. Here’s how to avoid feeling blocked.

Keep A Running List of Ideas For When You’re Feeling Uninspired

I love keeping my ideas in Medium’s stories tab, but you can create a bullet-point list if you like having all your ideas on one page.

Create a list or folder with all the ideas you’ve been wanting to write about, but haven’t gotten around to. We all have those ideas that seem too out there, too research-intensive, or too controversial.

Pick one out of a hat when you’re not feeling inspired. Get around to those articles you never thought would see the light of day. You wanted to write those articles at some point — why not now?

Create A Writing Schedule To Train Your Brain

It isn’t fair to wait until inspiration strikes to write. You won’t improve as a writer and your momentum will stall. Writing should be a routine, aimed at improvement.

Schedule your writing. Pick a time you work the best at, and set it aside for writing. Create an atmosphere of productivity. Pick a place that screams writing to you.

Not sure what your writing space should look like? It’s whatever makes you comfortable. But if you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a Writing Cooperative article with photographs of the writing spaces of 100+ famous writers.

Personally, I like to write between 6:30–8 PM. I have a snack and take a previously thought of idea from my stories tab and write the article. I edit it thoroughly (often taking multiple sittings) and then send it out to the publication I think suits it best.

Practice makes perfect as everyone says. If you practice training yourself to think of writing when specific conditions are met, you’ll form the habit and it’ll be that much easier to get writing.

Tell A Story With A Universal Lesson

Take a stroll down nostalgia lane and tell everyone about it.

Write about your favorite childhood traditions, your summer vacations, being bullied on the playground, dropping your ice cream and crying until you got another one, etc.

Here’s one of mine. Every night when I was little, my mom would put me to bed and ask what three things I was thankful for that day, and what my one wish would be.

Usually, I was thankful for family, ice cream, and playing computer games. I often wished for a million dollars. To spend on what, I don’t know still.

Use your unrelatable (or relatable) story to demonstrate a life lesson or takeaway. My childhood story’s takeaway is to always be thankful for things presently in your life, no matter how small or large, and remember to dream big.

It’s your story — you decide the lesson to share. Make sure it’s a good one.

Writer’s block only exists as an excuse. It’s a fine excuse to use if you need one, but recognize it for what it is — an excuse. If you can motivate yourself to do the laundry, go to work, or get up to use the bathroom in the morning, you can motivate yourself to write.

Make it easier to start writing by having an ideas folder ready to go. Create a writing space or mindset, and think about your experiences and how you’ve grown. You have plenty to write about.

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