In This Article
94% of writers get stuck. These 10 research-backed strategies — from the Zeigarnik Effect to the Pomodoro Technique — will get you writing again.
Have you ever stared at a blinking cursor for so long it started to feel like it was mocking you?
{/* ANECDOTE: Staring at cursor feeling mocked — editorial review needed */}
I sat down to write the introduction to my book Cues and typed the word “The.” Then I deleted it. Typed it again. Deleted it again. An hour later, “The” was still the only word on the page. That blinking cursor was winning.
If this sounds familiar, you’re in good company. A study of 428 university students found that 94% experience writer’s block at least sometimes — 24% almost always have it, 70% sometimes or occasionally. Only 6% have almost never been stuck.
Writer’s block isn’t a sign that you lack talent. It’s a predictable brain response to stress — and every strategy below is designed to reverse it.
What Is Writer’s Block?
Writer’s block is the inability to produce new written work or continue writing, despite having the skill and desire to do so. It’s not caused by a lack of talent but by stress-related, motivational, cognitive, or behavioral factors that temporarily shut down the brain’s creative output.
A study of 146 writers found that the #1 most reported reason for writer’s block was stress-related factors — anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and physical illness. The second-biggest reason was motivational factors, like fear of criticism, lack of excitement about a topic, or pressure to perform well.
Here’s what’s happening in your brain: neurologist Dr. Alice Flaherty explains that writing involves a tug-of-war between your temporal lobes (the “idea generator”) and your frontal lobes (the “internal editor”). When stress kicks in, your brain’s fear center activates and clamps down on creative output. Your brain treats the blank page like a threat.
Writer’s block isn’t a sign you lack talent — it’s your brain treating the blank page like a threat.
Identify Your Writer’s Block Type
Try to identify your cause of writer’s block — the fix depends on the type:
| Stress-Related (most common — ~42%) | Motivational (longest-lasting — ~29%) | Cognitive (~13%) | Behavioral (~11%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| stress | fear of criticism | trying to be perfect | following an irregular writing schedule |
| anxiety | fear of rejection | fixating on rules and structures | procrastinating |
| burnout | lack of drive to write | using time and effort inefficiently | being distracted |
| fatigue | boredom | overediting before finishing | changing one’s routine |
| grief | lack of enjoyment for writing | spending more time planning than writing | changing one’s environment |
The good news: Even the best writers get stuck. I had the pleasure of taking Malcolm Gladwell’s Masterclass on Writing, and he has an entire lesson on writer’s block. Read some of his tips (and mine) below.
1. Stop Starting on a Blank Page
Most people get writer’s block because they’re trying to write the hardest parts first. Do you fall into this trap? Writer’s block kicks into hyperdrive on:
- a blank page
- the opening line
- the start of a section, paragraph, or chapter
- the “thesis” (trying to articulate your most important idea succinctly)
So don’t start there.
UCLA researcher Mike Rose found that “high-blockers” tend to follow rigid, inflexible rules — like insisting their first sentence be perfect before moving on. “Low-blockers” use flexible strategies, jumping to whatever section feels easiest.
Here are three instant cures:
#1: Never start on a blank page (unless the words are pouring out of you).
#2: Never start with an opening line (unless you have the perfect one in mind).
#3: Write your thesis last (unless you already have a clear idea).
As Malcolm Gladwell teaches in his MasterClass on Writing, many problems are resolved in the doing — you work things out on the page, not in your head. His approach is to keep writing little pieces without knowing where they fit, treating the entire writing process like a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece gets you closer to finishing, but you don’t have to fit them together in order.
So what should you start with? Whatever feels easiest.
2. End in the Middle (The Zeigarnik Effect)
This is one of the weirdest things I do as a writer, but it works. It helped me write 2 books and over 1,200 articles.
Always end your writing session in the middle of a sentence, idea, or paragraph. End so that when you pick up the next day, you know exactly how to finish the thought. Then you’re already writing, and it’s much easier to keep going.
There’s real science behind this. Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered in 1927 that our brains remember unfinished tasks far better than completed ones — a phenomenon now called the Zeigarnik Effect. When you stop mid-sentence, your brain keeps working on it in the background. The next morning, finishing that thought is effortless — and by then, you’re already warmed up.
Ernest Hemingway did this deliberately. He wrote in A Moveable Feast: “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day… you will never be stuck.”
Here’s an example from Vanessa’s book Cues:
Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez, also known as A-Rod, played 22 seasons and earned over $440 million in the league. In 2007, he was accused of doping.
Rodriguez sat down with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes to answer questions about taking steroids. Couric asked Rodriguez, “For the record, have you ever used steroids, human growth hormones, or any other performance-enhancing substance?”
“No,” said Rodriguez.
Couric pressed on. “Have you ever been tempted to use any of those things?”
“No,” said Rodriguez.
Sounds pretty clear, right? Think again. Let’s look at the
She stopped at the end of her writing day in the middle of a thought. The next day, she knew what came next, and it was easy to pick up right where she left off.
It would have been much harder to finish this section on “A-Rod” and then start fresh the next day with an entirely new story.
Action Step: At the end of your next writing session, stop mid-sentence. Leave yourself a clear on-ramp for tomorrow. It sounds counterintuitive, but your brain will thank you.
Stop writing mid-sentence at the end of each session — your brain will keep working on it overnight.
3. Let Excitement Be Your Guide
Let your excitement guide you.
If you have something you’re excited to write — a story, an example, a paragraph — just do it! It does NOT have to be in order. In fact, it shouldn’t. Write whatever you are most excited about in the moment.
When I sat down to write Cues, I had a lot of information in my head. Every time I tried to write in order, I would get stuck. So I began to just write the stories that got me the most excited. Here’s one that isn’t until Part II of the book — but it got me excited, so it got me writing:
Ever wondered why some teams have great chemistry? One group of researchers at UC Berkeley wanted to find out and devised a clever way to watch basketball games in the name of science.
The research team watched the first three games of the NBA finals during the 2008–09 season and counted every single time players were seen touching on camera — from back pats to butt slaps to leaping shoulder bumps. They found that the team that touched each other the most won the most games.
This story helped me introduce the concept of oxytocin, which I was struggling with. I couldn’t figure out my thesis (remember, a big writer’s block trap), and this story jiggled everything loose.
Focus on what the creative genius in you is excited about and get it on paper!
4. Write Your Worst Draft First
Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, calls this the “shitty first draft” — and she insists that every good writer writes one:
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.”
Here’s the science behind it: Mike Rose’s UCLA research found that blocked writers try to create and edit simultaneously, which creates a cognitive bottleneck. Your brain can’t effectively play the “creator” role and the “editor” role at the same time. When you try, both functions stall.
Peter Elbow’s freewriting research confirmed this. His technique: write without stopping for 10 minutes. No editing. No backspacing. No judging. Even writing “I don’t know what to say” over and over will eventually unlock new thoughts. Elbow’s key insight: “Writing is a way to end up thinking something you couldn’t have started out thinking.”
Action Step: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write without stopping, editing, or deleting a single word. Your only job is to keep your fingers moving. You can fix everything later — that’s what editing is for.
Your brain can’t play the creator role and the editor role at the same time. When you try, both functions stall.
5. Go for a Walk (The Stanford Study)
When you’re stuck, your first instinct might be to stare harder at the screen. Do the opposite: stand up and walk.
A 2014 Stanford study by Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz found that walking increased creative output by about 60% compared to sitting. 81% of participants generated more creative ideas while walking. And here’s the surprising part — the creative boost came from the movement itself, not the scenery. Walking on a treadmill facing a blank wall produced the same effect as walking outdoors.
Even better, the creative boost persisted after participants sat back down. So a 10-minute walk before a writing session can prime your brain for better ideas.
Action Step: The next time you’re stuck, walk for 10 minutes — around the block, on a treadmill, pacing your apartment. Don’t try to solve the writing problem. Just move. When you sit back down, you’ll often find the words come easier.
6. Find Bookspiration
Author Austin Kleon wrote a best-selling book called Steal Like an Artist. In it, he argues that everything we write is a culmination of ideas and experiences we’ve absorbed from other places. So it’s only natural to “take” what’s useful and build on it — as long as you don’t copy word for word.
“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes. We learn by copying.” — Austin Kleon
I like to get my inspiration from books — what I call “bookspiration.” Whenever I’m facing writer’s block, I flip through a book on a similar topic and read its first lines, see how its paragraphs start, or riffle through its chapter headers.
For example, here’s an amazing intro from the first Harry Potter book:
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
And another from one of my favorite self-improvement books, How to Win Friends and Influence People:
“On May 7, 1931, the most sensational manhunt New York City had ever known had come to its climax.”
You can also scroll through your favorite blogs to find inspiration. Don’t be afraid to steal like a writer!
7. Change Your Writing Tool
Sometimes we get stuck because we’re stuck in routine. Switching your physical writing tool introduces novelty that can spark creativity.
A 2024 study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that handwriting activates nearly the entire brain — synchronizing regions involved in memory, sensory processing, and creative thinking — while typing engages only small, localized areas. If you’ve been typing and hitting a wall, picking up a pen might literally activate parts of your brain that were dormant.
Here are ways to shake up your tool:
- Write by hand. Grab a notebook and a nice pen. The slower pace forces you to think differently.
- Use sticky notes. Write one idea per note and stick them on the wall. Forget order — go wild.
- Speak instead of write. Writing and speaking use different parts of the brain. Try a dictation app or voice-record your thoughts when you’re stuck.
- Switch your keyboard. A mechanical keyboard, a different laptop, or even a typewriter can make the act of writing feel fresh.
Action Step: If you’ve been typing for an hour with nothing to show for it, close the laptop. Grab a pen and paper and write for 10 minutes. You might be surprised what comes out.
8. Enter Your Flow State
A state of flow is when you’re 100% focused on the activity you’re doing. You’re “in the zone,” enjoying the moment and creating with high output. For writers with writer’s block, flow can seem elusive.
The #1 way I reach flow when writing is to write every day. When I take a long break from writing, my writer’s block creeps up. But when I treat writing like a muscle, I “activate” flow more often.
Harvard professor Teresa Amabile’s research found that extreme deadline pressure makes people 45% less likely to think creatively. But moderate time pressure — enough urgency to focus but not enough to panic — is the sweet spot.
The Pomodoro Technique hits this sweet spot perfectly: write for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. The timer creates just enough urgency to keep you focused without triggering stress.
Here are more ways to achieve flow:
- Create a focus space. Dedicate a spot to writing only — free from distractions, TV, and clutter.
- Listen to the right music. Research suggests classical, ambient, or nature sounds help concentration. Avoid music with lyrics — it can interfere with the language-processing areas of your brain.
- Get rid of clutter. A cluttered desk means more visual information for your brain to process, reducing your cognitive bandwidth for writing.
9. Read More to Write More
How often do you read?
One study of university students found that the more a student read, the less writer’s block they had:
- Students who read between 21 to 50 books had less writer’s block than those who didn’t read any.
- Those who read a book for more than 6 hours performed better than those who read for less than one.
The best way to take advantage of reading to improve your writing is to become an expert in your topic. The study found that those who read more were more knowledgeable in their field — which, unsurprisingly, led to less writer’s block.
To become a better writer, become a better expert.
Reading fills your mental reservoir with ideas, structures, and language patterns. When it’s time to write, you’re drawing from a deeper well.
10. Lower the Bar (Then Raise It Later)
Here’s another tip from Gladwell: avoid areas of high difficulty.
Don’t go soul-searching for the perfect word. Don’t try to write like Hemingway on your first pass. If your intro isn’t brilliant or you don’t have a solid thesis, aim for the easy parts first — the fun anecdotes, the personal stories, the section you already know by heart.
Once you do the easy stuff, the hard stuff becomes easier. We often need momentum before we can tackle the harder bits.
When it comes to writing, there are two types of people:
- Low blockers have a low barrier to writing — they get the words out and worry about quality later.
- High blockers overthink, overedit, follow grammar rules too strictly, and churn out words at a snail’s pace.
To lower your blocking barrier, aim for “good enough”:
- Get rid of writing rules (for now). Rules are great for editing, not for drafting. “Don’t use passive voice,” “Be fun,” “Write in your own voice” — leave all of that for later.
- Stop premature editing. Turn off the spelling/grammar checker. Write without constraints. You can fix everything in revision.
- Have a plan, but stay flexible. Outlines are great, but rigid structure kills creativity. Leave room for surprises.
As Gladwell puts it: “Writers are not heart surgeons. The world does not hold us to our first pass. If we kill the heart patient, we get to operate again.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does writer's block last?
It varies enormously. Stress-related blocks can lift in hours once you address the underlying fatigue or anxiety. Motivational blocks — fear of criticism, boredom with a topic — tend to last longer, sometimes weeks or months. The research shows motivational causes produce the longest-lasting blocks, while stress-related causes are the most common but typically shorter. The strategies in this article are designed to break through both types quickly.
Is writer's block a real thing?
Yes. It’s been studied extensively since the 1940s, when psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler first described it. Modern neuroscience confirms it: when stress activates the amygdala, it can suppress activity in the brain’s creative centers. Writer’s block isn’t laziness or lack of talent — it’s a measurable cognitive state with identifiable causes and proven solutions.
What is the root cause of writer's block?
Research identifies four categories: stress/exhaustion (~42% of cases), motivational factors like fear of criticism (~29%), cognitive factors like perfectionism (~13%), and behavioral factors like procrastination (~11%). The single most common root cause is stress and anxiety — your brain’s threat response treating the blank page as a danger rather than an opportunity.
How do I break writer's block fast?
The three fastest techniques: (1) Stop mid-sentence at the end of each session so you never face a blank page, (2) Write your worst draft first — 10 minutes of freewriting with zero editing, and (3) Go for a 10-minute walk to boost creative output by 60%. If you combine all three, you can break through most blocks in under 30 minutes.
Does writer's block affect people with ADHD differently?
Yes. Research suggests that roughly 60% of people with attention challenges experience writing impairment. The executive function demands of writing — planning, organizing, sustaining focus, and self-monitoring — can be especially challenging. Strategies that reduce cognitive load work particularly well: freewriting (removes the editing burden), the Pomodoro Technique (creates external structure), changing tools (introduces novelty), and speaking instead of typing (uses different brain pathways).
Writer’s Block Takeaway
Writer’s block isn’t a mysterious creative illness. It’s a predictable response to stress, perfectionism, and cognitive overload — and every fix on this list targets one of those root causes.
Here’s your action plan:
- Never face a blank page. Leave bullet points, notes, or a mid-sentence on-ramp the night before.
- End in the middle. The Zeigarnik Effect keeps your brain working on the problem overnight.
- Follow your excitement. Write whatever section energizes you most — order doesn’t matter in a first draft.
- Write your worst draft first. Separate creating from editing. Ten minutes of freewriting breaks any block.
- Walk for 10 minutes. Stanford proved it boosts creative output by 60%.
- Change your tool. Handwriting activates more of your brain than typing. Shake up your routine.
- Use the Pomodoro Technique. 25 minutes of focused writing hits the sweet spot between urgency and calm.
The blank page doesn’t stand a chance.
And while you’re at it, check out this video on what NOT to do to beat writer’s block:
