Can’t Write Right Now? 5 Powerful Things to Do While You’re Stuck

When you can’t write, it can feel like time is slipping through your fingers—like every day without words is a day you’re falling further behind.

But what if this space isn’t empty at all? What if it’s doing quiet work, you can’t see yet?

This post is for the days when writing feels impossible, but you still want to honor the part of you that is a writer.

There are hundreds of memes floating around the inter-webs talking about being a writer but not writing. Non-writers see them and think we are a weird lot. “They” would be right. But writers see them and may chuckle, a self-deprecating one, or just nod and feel seen. The fact is we have all been through some type of inability to write.

Whether you want to call it writers block, a dry spell, letting the story simmer, etc. The fact is no matter the author, we all go through it. It doesn’t mean you are not a writer, in fact in the misery loves company front, it means you are in fact a writer, just a writer who isn’t writing. We’ll get you over this hump, I promise but first we need to acknowledge that it is happening and take steps to keep your curiosity and creativity alive in the slow word seasons.

Why can’t you write? That is a bigger discussion that could fill at least one book. And this blog post is not about that. We could go down that rabbit hole. It can stem from a simple plot point issue, or character problem. It could be the fact you are caught up in what is going on in the world around us, and the heaviness of it all. Or it could be that you are just not enjoying the process. This is not an exhaustive list, just a sample. So, no matter where you are at. I encourage you to self-reflect and figure out what is halting your progress, but while you do this take the time that you would normally be using to write and choose other “writerly” things to do in that space until the words flow for you again. Below is a list of 5 things to do while stuck that will advance you as a writer in the in between times.

1. Create a personal curriculum to increase your knowledge about writing. There are a ton of online courses in writing you can sign up for. Are you wanting to learn more about a specific genre of writing? There is a class for that. Have you always felt you were not good with grammar and sentence structure? There are plenty of YouTube videos that can help. Join a writer’s organization that includes resources available to writers for everything from drafting to contracts and copyright law. I belong to Romance Writers of America (RWA) and would not be published if not for the resources that were availed to me there.

   
   

2. READ! As a writer I know that when I am drafting, I don’t have as much time to read. And by read, I mean reading for my career or just reading for pleasure. Most of us got into writing after first loving to read. As adulthood crashes in on us and our time is taken by other things and other people many of us have less time to read. Not to mention that many writers do it in their free time and not as their primary job, so if you have free time, you are writing not reading. Take this time away from putting words on paper and use it to reset your love of words. Do you have a list of craft books that you have noticed, but never took the time to read? What about getting up to date on the best sellers in your genre? What are readers reading from other people? What about trying out a new author you heard about, or do some market research to see what all the best sellers have in common. What are readers liking? You could also grab that beloved novel off your shelf and reread it to be brought back to what drew you into this world to begin with.

   
   

3.   Consider writing something else for a while. Perhaps you aren’t writing because your story just isn’t working for you. This is kind of like when you can’t remember something, but all of a sudden in the shower a week later you remember. Get your brain working on something else, and you will be surprised how quickly the problem solution will pop into your head. Maybe even write in a different genre. If you normally write fiction, try poetry. Try flash fiction, or essays, or even blogging. Your brain can, like most complex tools, get stuck. Like the circle of death when your computer is buffering. Writing something wildly different is like a jarring act that can knock your brain back into functioning mode. And who knows, you may find a new type of writing you enjoy.

   
   

4. Try a different creative outlet. You know that crochet project you started two winters ago but never finished? Pick that up and try to finish it. Always wanted to learn how to bake? Sourdough anyone? Take a pottery class, or a drawing class. Learning something new can kick start your creativity and rejuvenate your mind to thinking creatively in ways you may not have in a very long time.

5. REST! I wasn’t kidding above when I said the world in general is heavy right now. Many of us in creative fields are impacted greatly by the energy around us. Maybe our own lives are wonderful, but hectic. It happens. Perhaps, your inability to write is your minds way of asking for its PTO to be approved. Instead of freaking out about word counts, and plot twists make a warm beverage, a comfy blanket, and sit outside to absorb fresh air and sunshine. Better, put the warm beverage in a to-go mug and get out into nature. Take a forest bath. Listen to the birds, stretch your muscles, and breathe it in. Drink plenty of water and eat healthy foods. And just live for a hot minute.

I am certain I haven’t said anything in this blog post that hasn’t been shared a million times, but sometimes when you are in crisis it takes another person to come up along side of you and make a simple suggestion that changes everything. I hope this blog post is that for you.

None of these suggestions admit defeat, they are all for you to give yourself the grace to find the path and get back on it. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am currently in one of those seasons of not writing the words, so this post is as much to remind myself of all the triage I can do for my writing as well as a reminder for you. I will get back there, and this blog post is proof I can still write a coherent sentence (I hope) and that I will get back to my work in progress soon.

Give yourself grace, and love like you would offer to your friend who is going through something similar and know you are not alone.

Sometimes what makes being unable to write so painful isn’t the silence—it’s the voice in your head telling you what that silence “means” about you.

In the next post, we talk about that voice—and why it’s lying.

Clair