How To Beat the Writer’s Block

“Space is deep, Man is small, and Time is his relentless enemy”

Thatʼs the first line of L. Ron Hubbardʼs science fiction classic To the Stars, one of the first novels to explore the concept and consequences of time dilation and still one of the best 75 years later. Alan Corday, the everyman main character, embarks on a heroʼs journey like no other.

That opening line also captures the character of the ancient nemesis of all authors: the writerʼs block. The bleak infinity of the blank page. The minuscule seeds of ideas that refuse to sprout and grow. The unstoppable deadline looming ever closer in the calendar app. No author, not even the greatest and most prolific, is immune. Fortunately, Hubbardʼs most famous opening line also suggests how we can make time, space, and infinity our allies in the struggle against the infamous thief of productivity and destroyer of confidence. Here are some strategies Iʼve learned in my journey to becoming a winner in Writers of the Future Volume 41.

Give yourself some time

Your genius thrives on written words. Nourish it every day. Integrate writing into the rhythm of your daily life. Take an hour, even half an hour, of every day and write. Guard this time jealously; itʼs precious. Start before the kids wake up, wait until theyʼre in bed, or trade time with your partner to watch them. Silence your phone, stop doom-scrolling, and just write. Write a description, some lines of dialogue, a reflection from a characterʼs POV, or a fragment of a scene. Start a story at the end or in the middle. Write to a prompt. The Writers of the Future Forum has a great writer prompt every week.

Experiment with different times of day to discover when youʼre at your creative best. Find your personal golden hour and use it. Donʼt judge, donʼt revise, just write. Tell your inner critic to go away until youʼve broken the blockade. Didnʼt give yourself enough time to finish what you started? Great! Come back to it the next day with a fresh perspective. Your genius inhabits the deeper levels of your amazing intellect. Often, while your conscious mind turns to other things or falls into the delicious embrace of sleep, it will keep working and reward you with more words. When it does, be sure to write them down while theyʼre still fresh, even if, like babies, theyʼre delivered in the middle of the night.

After a few daily sessions, take a second look at what youʼve created. Expand on it, change it, save it for another time, or throw it away and start over. Any time spent writing is time well spent.

Speaking of time, at some point, you may find yourself losing track of it as you write. Hours will float by on a river of words, a torrent of imagination made real on the page. Congratulations, youʼve entered a flow-state, a mental realm of intense focus and immersive action, a super-powered dimension of productivity. If it doesnʼt happen, donʼt worry, but if it does, your writerʼs block will wash away in the flood.

Make yourself some space

Cultivate a genius-friendly environment, a mind palace in physical form. Make your workspace as comfortable and private as possible. Put up barriers to distraction. If you canʼt work behind closed doors or donʼt want to, let your loved ones know that the time you spend writing is personal and important. Toddlers will melt down, and cats will climb on your keyboard. Thatʼs OK. Give them some love, return to your domain, and keep writing.

Use sight, sound, and scent to open portals to inspiration. Hang pictures, play music, curate a mood board, light a candle, fire up a fragrance diffuser. Populate your space with objects that catalyze creativity. Favorite books, action figures, drinking horns, model spaceships, awards youʼve won—even a few choice rejection emails, if they spur your determination to succeed. Whatever helps you slip the surly bonds of the here and now. If your block proves especially stubborn, change things around or add something new before you start writing, but donʼt cut into your writing time. Do you know what would really look good on your workspace wall? Some certificates from the Writers of the Future Contest. You can enter a story every quarter. Just saying.

Once youʼve built your castle, venture beyond its walls. Go for a walk a few minutes every day. Go to a park, a café, the south 40, the town square, your backyard, the roof of your high-rise. Anywhere your mind can roam free. My story probably wouldnʼt have been a Writers of the Future winner without all the ideas that came to me on daily walks with our dog Murphy. I give him plenty of meaty treats but draw the line at co-author credit.

On a longer time scale, take some vacation days and change your scene. Go alone or take along a heroʼs companion. Experience new places, meet new people, build new worlds for readers to visit.

Expand your universe

Speculative fiction is all about encountering the unknown, the unseen, the unbelievable. If the familiar isnʼt working well for you, try something new. If youʼre a planner, try some discovery writing. If youʼre a pantser, try your hand at outlining. Nobody has to know. Experiment with different points of view or characters out of character for you. Change up or mash up your genres. Have a cup of cozy post-apocalyptic or a shot of hard-boiled fae detective. Not sure how to start something new? Take the free Writers of the Future Online Workshop and learn from the masters of many universes.

Broaden your reading horizons as well. Sail the seas of history, science, philosophy, or religion, and bring back treasures for building a new world. Read about real-world heroes of charity, justice, war, education, or sports. Sample subgenres of fiction that are more speculative, or less, than your usual fare. Youʼll find superb examples in every volume of the L. Ron Hubbard Presents the Writers of the Future anthologies.

And hereʼs a truly radical idea: talk to some actual human people, ref. L. Ron Hubbardʼs essay “Circulate.” The model for your next epic hero could be teaching in a classroom or patrolling in a squad car just down the block. They should belong to the ages. Immortalize them.

Speaking of real people, humanity might be alone in the universe, but youʼre not. Thousands of writers, much like you or amazingly different, struggle with writerʼs block as you read this. Connect with some, share your triumphs and tragedies, and offer words of support and encouragement. The Writers of the Future Forum is filled with kindred spirits, not to mention sage advice and pro tips for writing winning stories. Log in, visit, connect, recharge, and return with the elixir.

Time. Space. Infinity.

Writerʼs block will try to steal them from you. It is your relentless enemy, but itʼs not invincible. Fight back with the tips, tricks, and allies weʼve talked about here. Find some of your own and share them. You may not win every battle against the writerʼs block but the ultimate victory will be yours. The Writers of the Future Contest calls you to new writing adventures every quarter. Accept the call and enter your stories. Youʼre the hero. Itʼs your journey.