The page stares back at you. Empty.
The cursor blinks accusingly.
"Just write something… write something… write something..." you chant, desperately.
The pressure rises. The words grind to a halt. Your fingers flail across the keyboard.
You try a few words. Maybe a sentence? No. You delete it.
Again.
And again.
A little neon sign flashes in the back of your mind. The word writer’s block looms larger. The harder you try, the more you slam into the massive, white wall. Your document remains empty.
What do you do?
I write as a key part of my work: articles, reports, social media updates, and a steady stream of newsletters.
Here are 11 tricks I use when the words won’t come.
But first—why does writer’s block happen?
Why do you get writer’s block?
Three things tend to show up when writer’s block sneaks in:
- Bad timing: Writing takes focus. Words don’t magically arrange themselves the moment your fingers hit the keyboard. Good writing needs time, calm, and decent working conditions.
- When I’m just not feeling it: Writing isn’t just about ability—it’s about willingness. Willing to sit down. Willing to push forward. Willing to grind through what might feel like the most lukewarm draft ever. And some days, that willingness just isn’t there.
- Fear of writing garbage: This one’s the worst. The invisible pressure you hammer yourself with. If every word has to be perfect, you’re on an impossible mission. If you're lucky, maybe a few clunky words make it out. But real flow only begins when I remember: writing is a process.
Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to knock down the barriers and get the words flowing again.
Here are 11 tools and techniques I personally use to break through writer’s block:
11 Tips for Beating Writer’s Block
These are the techniques I turn to when my writing gets stuck. You won’t get academic citations here, just lessons from a decade of trial, error, and improvement in my writing life.
1. Write with the screen off
A blank screen can be terrifying. The cursor blinks at you relentlessly. You write a word. Maybe two. Then delete it. And get nowhere.
The black screen is your friend. Easy to try.
Step 1: Turn off your screen.
Step 2: Write for at least 10 minutes. Don’t lift your hands from the keyboard. Let the words flow—even if it’s nonsense.
Just keep writing. Even if it’s just: “The screen is black. I can’t see anything.”
With the screen off, you stop obsessing over what you’ve written. You stop judging every sentence. You just produce.
No, it won’t be Pulitzer material when you turn the screen back on. But it’ll be a start. You’ve broken through the blank page.
This is also known as Freewriting. I built a (free) tool for it here.
2. Shut everything down for 25 minutes (Pomodoro technique)
Distractions are everywhere. Email, phone, social media—always within reach. And when you're stuck, 25 minutes on Instagram suddenly feels necessary.
Try this instead: Use the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro technique is simple: set a timer for 25 minutes. Do nothing but write during that time.
Stuck? Stare at the ceiling. Don’t do anything else.
It might be tough at first. But you’ll train your focus.
And focus is crucial. You’ve got to learn how to sit your butt down and get it done.
Click here for a full guide to Pomodoro, or check out how to use it beyond writing.
3. Write about anything
Can’t start that oh-so-important report?
Write something. Anything. If your topic is Latin American dance traditions and you’re stuck, then write something else entirely.
Try the Charles Bukowski quote: “Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all.”
It’s about getting started—not about writing the perfect thing.
4. Write first, structure later
You write. You delete. You write a little. Delete again. That inner schoolteacher with the red pen is back. And it’s never quite good enough.
But good writing rarely comes in one glorious first draft.
Mine certainly don’t.
Good writing gets there through editing. So: dump everything you know about the topic into a doc. Forget perfect form.
You can polish it up to Pulitzer-level later.
5. Get some fresh air
If your chair feels like it’s catching fire and you’ve been sitting too long, your brain might be stuck.
When you’re in flow, you can keep going endlessly. But let’s be honest—if you were in flow, you wouldn’t still be reading this.
I’m not a fan of procrastination. But I do love conscious pauses. Breakout sessions. Moments that pull your brain somewhere else. Let your thoughts wander. Reset your nervous system.
Fresh air is amazing for that. Step outside and breathe. Then come back with a clearer head.
6. Start with a brainstorm
Sometimes it’s not the first sentence that’s the problem—it’s getting into the topic at all. Usually, you already know what the topic is. And if you don’t, you’re not blocked—you’re out of ideas. That’s a different issue.
Try a quick brainstorm. Grab a thick marker, a blank wall, and a pile of sticky notes. Even better—brainstorm with someone for 10 minutes.
Start writing down whatever pops into your mind. Words, phrases, fragments.
It helps you approach the writing from a different angle—without the pressure of the blinking cursor.
And if you’ve got someone to bounce ideas off, you’ll start saying things that are word-for-word usable in your text. Because now you’re having a natural, relaxed conversation about the topic.
Most importantly, you start generating real material. It’s easier to shape that into paragraphs once you’ve got something in front of you.
7. Ask yourself the questions your text needs to answer
Questions are a fantastic way to get unstuck. Even if your final piece doesn’t directly answer them, they help you break the big job into smaller parts.
Say you’re writing about slow juicers. Start with:
- What is a slow juicer?
- How is it different from a regular juicer?
- Who would benefit from one?
- What types are available?
- What do they cost?
Now you’ve got a bunch of raw ideas. You can expand, combine, rearrange—and the text starts to take shape.
8. Write around the text
Instead of writing the final version, write down what you want the reader to know by the end.
What should they learn?
Often, our obsession with structure from the very first word makes things worse. The pressure builds. You freeze.
Break free with something simple like this:
“I want to tell that...”
Start writing from there.
9. Use your hands for something else (LEGO, beads, drawing)
It doesn’t happen often, but we’re surprisingly good at thinking creatively when our hands are busy.
School didn’t really encourage this.
But it can work wonders when you’re stuck. Most people think better when they’re physically engaged. So grab some LEGO, beads, or paper and just build or draw. No structure. No metaphor. Just play.
It unlocks new angles and opens your mind.
10. Save spelling, structure, and formatting for later
If you saw the first draft of this article, you’d know exactly why I include this tip.
I get stuck less and less these days—because I’m getting better at writing without evaluating what’s coming out.
Yes, editing is important. But when you’re blocked, it’s often because you’re overthinking every sentence, cringing over typos, and fussing with formatting before you’ve even written anything substantial.
Let it be messy. That’s what editing is for.
11. Use a model to get started
A blank page is terrifying. Notebook or screen—it doesn’t matter.
I once realized I got into sketching and note-taking faster if I always started the page the same way. I’d draw a box with the date, page number, and a short note about where I was.
It worked because I had a starting ritual.
The same logic applies here.
There are loads of writing models out there. Some for articles, some for storytelling, others for email marketing.
Pick a model that fits your goal. The point is to avoid staring at a terrifyingly blank screen.
Now you’ve got a framework to fill—step by step.
In reality, there’s a common theme across all these tips: start something. Anything.
Whether it becomes a prize-winning piece or a total mess doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you start—and build momentum.
Try using the PAS model to get going
What’s your secret trick for popping the word-balloon?
So, those were my 11 best tricks—the ones that work for me. I hope some of them work for you too.
But I’m always curious to try new methods, especially next time my fingers freeze and the keyboard goes stubbornly silent.
Got a great trick for breaking through a block? Send it my way here