How Famous Writers Overcome

Writer’s Block and Reawaken Their

Creativity
Nicole Bianchi Follow
Nov 7, 2017 · 8 min read

7 strategies that will help you get back in your creative ow

Some writers argue that “writer’s block” isn’t real. It’s just an excuse to
use when we’d rather procrastinate than get to work on our writing
projects.
There’s a quote attributed to William Faulkner: “I only write when I am
inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.”

Similarly, in Jack London’s 1905 essay on how to become a published

writer, London observed, “Don’t loaf and invite inspiration; light out
after it with a club, and if you don’t get it you will nonetheless get
something that looks remarkably like it.”

London believed that writing daily was the best way to rouse the
sleeping Muse. He advised, “Set yourself a ‘stint,’ and see that you do
that ‘stint’ each day; you will have more words to your credit at the end
of the year.”

And, yet, many other famous authors wouldn’t have found

London’s advice very helpful. Check out several famous writers
complaining about how they can no longer write here.

Franz Kafka, for example, once lamented in his journal,

 “How time ies; another ten days and I have achieved
nothing. It doesn’t come o . A page now and then is
successful, but I can’t keep it up, the next day I am
powerless.”

Maybe you’re like me and sometimes feel more like Kafka than
Faulkner and London. You sit down at your computer to begin writing,
but instead you nd yourself having a stare down with the blank
screen. You may type a few lines, but after several minutes you delete
everything. You just can’t seem to nd the right words to continue.

It’s as if your inspiration inkwell has suddenly dried up. What can you
do? How can you get back in your creative ow?

Thankfully, many famous writers have shared their methods for how
they overcame dry periods and became successful writers.

Read on for several di erent strategies seven famous authors have used
to overcome writer’s block and keep writing away.
1. Maya Angelou’s “Just Write” Strategy
Writing is like any art or sport. Practice makes perfect. As we have seen,
many authors argue that inspiration will only come if you push yourself
to keep putting pen to paper each day.

The trick is not to overthink it. Write nonsense if you have to. But keep
writing, no matter if you’re pleased with the nal result or not.

Maya Angelou explained in the book Writers Dreaming:

“I suppose I do get ‘blocked’ sometimes but I don’t like

to call it that. That seems to give it more power than
I want it to have. What I try to do is write. I may write
for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that,
not a rat,’ you know. And it might be just the most
boring and awful stu . But I try. When I’m writing, I
 write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that
I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’”

2. Anthony Trollope’s “Timed

Writing” Strategy
Similar to Maya Angelou’s “just write” strategy is Anthony Trollope’s
“timed writing” strategy. One of the most successful novelists of the
Victorian era, Trollope gured out a daily writing routine that had him
churning out books with astounding speed. Over the course of 35
years, he wrote 47 novels as well as many short stories, non ction
books, and plays.

Even more impressive, he did all this while working a demanding job as
a post o ce inspector. His job required him to travel often and keep a
busy schedule.

That meant that when he sat down to write, he needed to make sure he
met his daily word count goal.
In his autobiography, he described the strategy that he used:

It had at this time become my custom,— and it still is

my custom, though of late I have become a little
lenient to myself,— to write with my watch before
me, and to require from myself 250 words every
quarter of an hour.

I have found that the 250 words have been

forthcoming as regularly as my watch went…

This division of time allowed me to produce over ten

pages of an ordinary novel volume a day, and if kept
up through ten months, would have given as its
results three novels of three volumes each in
the year.
Trollope’s timed writing strategy was so amazingly e ective because he
committed to turning o all distractions during that time period.
He forced himself to concentrate on only the ticking of the stopwatch
and his words.

Check out my article below to discover how you can implement the
“timed writing” strategy too:

How to Supercharge Your Writing Productivity:

Anthony Trollope's Strategy for Writing 45+…

Want to supercharge your writing productivity but

feel like you struggle to concentrate when you si…
nicolebianchi.com

3. Neil Gaiman’s “Hibernation” Strategy

Sometimes strategies #1 and #2 don’t work. Maybe you’ve been
working excitedly on your novel, but suddenly have absolutely no idea
how the story should end. Or you’ve been writing a blog post, but can’t
gure out how to write the conclusion.

Neil Gaiman o ers this advice:

“Put it [your writing] aside for a few days, or longer, do

other things, try not to think about it. Then sit down
and read it (printouts are best I nd, but that’s just
me) as if you’ve never seen it before. Start at the
beginning. Scribble on the manuscript as you go if
you see anything you want to change. And often,
when you get to the end you’ll be both enthusiastic
about it and know what the next few words are. And
you do it all one word at a time.”

4. John Steinbeck’s “Write to One

Person” Strategy
If a bad case of perfectionism is causing your writer’s block, you might
nd this strategy helpful. In a 1962 letter to his friend Robert Wallsten,
John Steinbeck advised,

Forget your generalized audience. In the rst place,

the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to
death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it
doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single
reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick
out one person — a real person you know, or an
imagined person and write to that one.

Indeed, it’s exhausting and intimidating (and often downright

paralysing) to try to write a story or a blog post that will please
everybody. There will inevitably be someone who doesn’t like the
fantasy genre or the thriller genre or whatever type of story you are
writing.
Instead, when you write to a single person, it gives you a sense of
purpose and direction and will help you get your creative juices
owing. I also nd it motivating since I am now eager to share my
completed work with that person.

5. Ernest Hemingway’s “Hoarding” Strategy

If you’ve su ered from writer’s block but suddenly nd all of that
inspiration ooding into you again, don’t exhaust your resources!
Always make sure to keep some inspiration in reserve.

Ernest Hemingway explained,

“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.
Always stop while you are going good and don’t think
about it or worry about it until you start to write the
next day. That way your subconscious will work on it
 all the time. But if you think about it consciously or
worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be
tired before you start.”

Essentially, this strategy attempts to outmaneuver writer’s block. End

your writing sessions mid-paragraph while you still have a clear idea of
what you want to write next. That way you’ll maintain your momentum
and avoid showing up to a blank page the next day with no idea how to
move forward.

6. Toni Morrison’s “Writing Ritual” Strategy

Toni Morrison and many other writers emphasize the importance of
writing rituals, a set sequence of actions that you perform before you sit
down to write. It could be as simple as making a cup of tea or playing
one of your favorite music CDs. A ritual helps you mentally prepare
yourself to start writing.

Toni Morrison observed,

Recently I was talking to a writer who described
something she did whenever she moved to her
writing table. I don’t remember exactly what the
gesture was — there is something on her desk that
she touches before she hits the computer keyboard
— but we began to talk about little rituals that one
goes through before beginning to write.

I, at rst, thought I didn’t have a ritual, but then I

remembered that I always get up and make a cup of
co ee while it is still dark — it must be dark — and
then I drink the co ee and watch the light come. And
she said, Well, that’s a ritual. And I realized that for
me this ritual comprises my preparation to enter a
space that I can only call nonsecular…
 I tell my students one of the most important things
they need to know is when they are their best,
creatively. They need to ask themselves, What does
the ideal room look like? Is there music? Is there
silence? Is there chaos outside or is there serenity
outside? What do I need in order to release my
imagination?”

Find out more about how you can create a writing ritual in my article
below:

How to Spark Inspiration with a Powerful

Writing Ritual

A story idea suddenly appears in your head with a

complete beginning, middle, and end. You sit…
nicolebianchi.com
7. Hilary Mantel’s “Get Away From Your
Desk” Strategy
If none of the previous strategies work, sometimes the best way to
conquer writer’s block is to get away from your desk and clear your
mind. Writer’s block often happens because your mind is overwhelmed
by all of the thoughts about your daily life that are crowding your brain.

You need to create a space for your inspiration to ll.

Hilary Mantel o ers this advice,

“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a
walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw,
listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do,
don’t just stick there scowling at the problem. But
don’t make telephone calls or go to a party; if you do,
other people’s words will pour in where your lost
 words should be. Open a gap for them, create a
space. Be patient.”

Check out my article below about the many famous writers who loved
going on long walks:

Want to Become a Better Writer? Go For a Walk

If you're like most writers, you probably spend a

big part of your day seated at your desk in front …
nicolebianchi.com

The Takeaway: How to Overcome Writer’s

Block and Get Back in Your Creative Flow
Writer’s block can be quite discouraging, but the bottom line is don’t
give up. Look for creative ways to inspire yourself out of the doldrums.
When you nally do start writing, don’t judge yourself too harshly. Just
let your creative juices start owing.

Once you’ve found your lost inspiration, make sure you examine your
creative process to see why you ran into writer’s block in the rst place.
Make changes to your writing process if you have to. This will help you
avoid writer’s block in the future.

Want more tips for how to succeed as a writer? Get

my free eBook “Famous Writers’ Productivity Hacks”
and discover how to optimize your writing sessions.

I’d also love for you to come join my private writing

community on Facebook where you can connect with
me and other writers.

. . .
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