Overcoming writer's block

Monday 6 September 2021 at 18:00 CEST

Sometimes, when attempting to write, or design, or create something new, you'll get "blocked". You know where you want to be, but you don't know the next words to write to get yourself moving.

The trick, as I've found it, is to not write (or design, or create) the next thing.

Writing often goes from top to bottom, left to right. But it doesn't have to be that way. You can start in the middle.

So start in the middle, and write the thing that's first and foremost in your mind. It doesn't matter that it doesn't make sense without some kind of prelude, or that your story hasn't arrived there yet. Write it anyway. Write paragraph 12, or chapter 6, or slide 19.

And then, write the bit before that. You can write upwards. It's OK. We have computers now. No one's stopping you.

And you know, it works with software too. Design and implement the bit that's calling you. The rest will come later. There is no defined order. You can take it apart and reassemble it later.

And the best bit? You'll find you didn't need nearly as much prelude, or scaffolding, or story, as you initially thought. By starting in the middle, you'll help your reader get to the middle a lot faster.