How to Avoid Writer's Block
- hbkiser
- Sep 28
- 2 min read
I recently had a conversation with a client about writer's block. I've written before that I don't really believe in such a thing (ever heard of talker's block? No? Of course not! We just do it!) though I acknowledge being stuck when seeking perfection.
Here's a radical approach: give yourself permission to write badly on purpose. Think of it like free writing with a dual purpose.
Set a timer for anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes (this is dependent on your own writing style or typing speed; you know what works for you) and write the worst possible version of whatever scene or section (or in my case, beginning or ending!) has you stuck. Make it deliberately awful — use clichés, write purple prose with lots of adjectives, throw in ridiculous dialogue.
Why does this work?
It's nearly impossible to write something truly terrible when you're trying (anyone ever enter the Bulwer-Lytton contest?). Writing as poorly as possible is honestly really, really hard. Getting words on the page without the pressure of quality almost guarantees you'll "accidentally" write something decent.
Even genuinely bad writing gives you raw material to revise, and "writing on the page" is exactly what you do not have with writer's block
It short-circuits the internal critic that whispers "this isn't good enough" by making "not good enough" the goal. Contrary to what you might think, this circumvents your brain just enough that you are likely to end up with something surprisingly creative in a good way
If you're stuck on a scene, rewrite it from the perspective of someone who has no business being there — your actual grandmother, a nosy neighbor, the family dog. This absurd shift in viewpoint often reveals new angles because you're strong arming yourself into your own work sideways.
When you hit a wall, write "[Something amazing happens here that makes the reader gasp]" or "[Insert brilliant metaphor about loss]" and keep going, just as with any free writing session. I've used this trick regularly in my own career, in any number of scenarios that don't necessarily include a block. Sometimes I'm really on a roll and don't want to derail my progress by going down a certain path at that precise moment. This ensures you won't forget your obviously brilliant idea later, and/or it prevents you from getting bogged down in one stubborn section.
