Writer's block doesn't exist
And that's good news.
I’ll admit it: I don't really believe in writer's block.
Wait! Before you click away or fire off your rebuttal to my controversial statement, let me clarify that I don't believe in writer's block, but I do know writers get stuck sometimes.
The truth is, there's no wicked virus or affliction out there that infects our creative brain and keeps us from writing. Instead, I've found clients come to me with one of several reasons behind their "stuckness:"
Doubt Demons
Fear is the biggest culprit when it comes to being stuck.
Fear often disguises itself as procrastination or “not feeling inspired.” But what’s really going on is your brain fast-forwarding to every possible judgment before you’ve even written the words. My advice: Try not to think about future readers or getting an agent/editor or reviews or any of that and focus on telling YOURSELF the story first. Write like no one is watching. And when you focus on entertaining, surprising, or delighting yourself, you take away the pressure that feeds those doubt demons.
Bonus tip: try writing in a “secret” document you’ll never show anyone. Sometimes just removing the imaginary audience gives you the freedom to move forward.
The Internal Editor
But even if you are laser-focused on telling yourself the story, your internal editor may be filling your head with imposter syndrome. The truth is that drafting is for exploration, discovery, and play. Editing is for shaping, refining, and polishing. If you try to do both at once, you’ll stall out. So create a boundary with that pesky internal editor: Go ahead and listen to all of her critique—maybe even write it down on a piece of paper. But then burn that shit and get back to your writing. Your internal editor can say her piece, but then you need to move on.
If burning the critique feels too dramatic, try putting those “editor notes” into a separate file labeled “Future Fixes” so you can relax knowing you won’t lose the thought, but you don’t have to act on it right away.
More planning required
You might have started out as a pantser, but if you're feeling stuck or like you've written yourself into a corner, it might be time to adding some planning tools to your writers toolbox. Getting stuck often means you’ve lost sight of the “Why” of your story. A little planning doesn’t mean abandoning creativity; it means you’re giving yourself enough scaffolding to keep moving forward.
If the idea of outlining feels restrictive, try low-pressure tools like a long-form synopsis. Check out my How to Use a Long-Form Synopsis post on how to add this easy but powerful tool to your repertoire.
Marination time required
Creative work doesn’t always look like typing. Sometimes you just need more time to process your story in the background. If you've been working hard for weeks or months, go take a walk or plant some flowers. Sometimes rest is all the creative mind really needs.
Downtime isn’t wasted time—it’s part of the creative process. The key is to step away with intention: set a clear question or scene you’re stuck on, then step away from your desk for a few hours or several days. You’ll be surprised how often the solution bubbles up once you’ve stopped staring directly at the problem.
Stuck between steps
Sometimes we think we’re blocked when in reality we’ve just hit that in-between stage where our draft exists, but we’re not sure what to do with it next. Do we revise again? Share with a critique partner? Start querying? Or set it aside for something new? That kind of uncertainty can feel just as paralyzing as staring at a blank page.
That’s exactly why I created my new free 5-minute quiz.
After over 10 years of reading manuscripts and guiding writers through every stage of the process, I’ve noticed patterns in what makes a draft solid enough to move forward and what signals it needs a bit more work first. I poured all that knowledge into this quiz to help you figure out exactly where you are in your journey so you can take your next best step with confidence.
Once you complete the quiz, you’ll get my assessment of where your manuscript currently stands and what kind of support it needs most. And as a bonus, you’ll also get a free writing tool tailored to your results that you can use right away to make progress, no matter what stage you’re in.