Are you stuck? Feeling paralyzed? Having trouble figuring out which way to take your work in progress?

We all find ourselves staring at a blank wall from time to time. There are as many reasons for this as there are writers x days in the week. The question isn’t whether you’re going to struggle to make progress on occasion, the question is what to do about it.

Here are three strategies I use to overcome writer’s block, get projects out of the quick sand, and to make use of periods where the writing just won’t come easy.

Strategy 1: Find the Right Time

Many of us have to write at weird times of day. Before work. After the kids go to bed. Whatever you have to do to squeeze in those writing sessions. But I have found, especially as I get older, that I need to be thoughtful about when I schedule my most challenging tasks. Easy stuff I can do if I’m tired or grumpy. But if I’m having trouble with a chapter or I need to work on something that calls for my very best, I schedule some writing time when I know I will be fully rested, fully caffeinated, and fully ready to roll.

Strategy 2: A Zero Draft

One of my favorite strategies is the “Zero Draft.” If you’re writing something that has you worried - about how to put it all together or whether you can finish it at all - a Zero Draft can be a huge boost. Stop worrying by throwing the brakes out of your car!

A Zero Draft is a super skinny and very quick first draft. Your goal is not quality, not completeness, but just a full treatment. At least a sentence or a few bullet points in every major section or beat in your book about what you want/think it will be. When you that that in hand, you’ll see connections and structures (as well as holes) that are hard to see otherwise. Even better, with a Zero Draft you will actually have a very early version of the whole book - at this point your confidence in finishing will be very high because now all you need to do is polish things up.

Strategy 3: Putter

For years I used to kick myself for puttering every afternoon instead of writing. I would promise myself I would stop wasting time reading the internet and stay on task. Eventually, however, I realized that puttering - typically reading about whatever my current hobby or passion was - was my brain’s way of recharging after a day of writing. It’s not a crime to let your brain take a break - it’s basic biology. Even better, I learned that puttering was a great way for my brain to marinate on future great ideas - even if I didn’t realize that was what was happening at the time.

I hope you’re all in productive mode. If not, I hope something here can help. But I’d love to hear your go-to strategies for getting unstuck or facing down your writing challenges.

Happy writing,

Trevor