Stop Writer's Block Before It Starts
Lesson on constantly documenting your ideas
Writer's block 😱
The two words that strike fear into the hearts of even the most experienced writers.
It's that frustrating moment when the words refuse to come, the ideas seem to evaporate, and your creative well feels dry.
But what if you could stop writer’s block before it starts?
Let me explain… 👇
Many aspiring writers will complain that ideas don’t come to them.
This is false.
In actuality, ideas come to us every single day — we just forget them.
How many times have you thought of an idea in the middle of the night, woken up the next morning, and had zero clue what it was?
We get complacent, let these ideas pass by, and then complain about writer’s block when we finally sit down at our computers to write.
The solution?
Write down every idea that comes into your head.
Everything.
All those brief flashes of inspiration that pop into your mind throughout the day.
When you’re about to fall asleep.
When you’re in line at the grocery store.
When you’re out on a walk.
Honor your creativity and write down your ideas.
Write down a line of dialogue for a character who hasn’t been created yet.
Write down the wallpaper in the living room of a house that doesn’t have an address.
Write down the title of a horror novel you don’t plan on writing.
No matter how trivial the detail, write it down.
It could be something as small as a potential character’s middle name, to something as significant as an entire scene idea or third-act twist.
Write.
Write.
Write.
Carry a notebook and pen or use the notes app on your phone — it doesn’t matter.
Write.
Let these small ideas stack up.
Most of them will be useless.
That’s okay…
Because a small portion will stick with you and blossom into something great.
Just the act of writing it down will help solidify the idea in your mind and your subconscious will take over.
And the best part?
You’ll have a constant source of inspiration to flip back to.
Whenever you get that feeling of writer’s block, turn to your notebook or notes app and review your treasure trove of ideas.
The passage of time will allow you to go back and make connections between these seemingly trivial ideas — potentially creating the basis of a future story.
I urge you to try this technique, even if only for a week.
Use your notes app and write down every idea.
After seven days, you’ll be able to look back and find tremendous value from what you’ve written. It really is a game-changer.
I used to struggle with story ideas.
Three years ago, I began writing down all of my ideas.
Now my Moleskine notebook is a personal treasure trove of information — small, seemingly useless story ideas that have blossomed into the outlines for five novels.
My new problem is making time to write them all!
Remember, your creativity is boundless. 🚀
Stop writer’s block before it starts. Write down your ideas!
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This is valuable information.
Although I used to jot down many ideas in my notebook, I never referred to them during creative blocks. Thanks for sharing.