Ah, writer’s block. That dreaded, brain-clogging, confidence-shattering menace that lurks in the shadows of every project. Some say it only strikes once in a blue moon. Others, like me, find themselves grappling with it at least once a week, sometimes even more, if the writing gods are particularly cruel.

But here’s the thing: even seasoned pros get stuck. And they all have their own ways of getting unstuck. Today, I’m going to share mine. Will it work for you? Maybe. Maybe not. But hey, at the very least, you’ll get a laugh out of it.

My #1 Trick: Just Write (Even If It’s Ridiculous)

I know. It sounds too simple. But let me explain.

Say you’re writing an intense scene, your hero, Jeff, just defused a bomb. There’s a crowd of grateful onlookers. He needs to say something cool before dramatically rushing off after the villain. The problem? Your brain is giving you… nothing.

Well, nothing except, “All in a day’s work!” And let’s be honest, that’s so cliché it hurts.

So what do I do? I just write something. Anything. Even if it makes absolutely no sense.

Like this:

The small crowd cheers. Jeff, basking in his hero moment, turns to them and says, “Hey, get yo big heads out of the way so I can see where the villain went!”
Then, he dashes off in pursuit.

Is that the final line? Absolutely not. But is it hilarious? Yes. And most importantly, it lets me move forward instead of agonizing over one perfect sentence. Later, when I’ve fleshed out Jeff’s personality and feel more confident in his voice, I’ll go back and fix it.

How The Cat Became a 911 Operator

This technique doesn’t just apply to dialogue. It works for plot problems, too.

Case in point: I once wrote myself into a corner. A character of mine passed out alone in his apartment, but I needed paramedics to arrive. Tiny problem, I forgot he was alone. Who was going to call 911?

I could’ve sat there, frozen, trying to logic my way out. Instead, I embraced the ridiculous.

I let his cat do it.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the operator asked.
“Meow.” Snuggles was freaking out internally.
“What’s the address?”
“Meow.”
“Is he still breathing?”
“Meow.”
“Okay, short and shallow is still good. I’ve contacted paramedics, they’re on the way. Can you stay on the line?”
“Meow.”
“Alright, just keep calm. We’re going to get through this together.”

A few minutes later, a loud pounding shook the door. A deep voice called, “Fire department!”

See? Ridiculous. But it got me past the block. Now, will Snuggles remain a cat with secret phone-operating skills? Probably not. (Unless I decide to lean into a Homeward Bound meets Law & Order type of thing.) But the important part is, I didn’t stay stuck. I moved forward.

The Takeaway

When you hit a writing roadblock, don’t freeze. Don’t overthink. Just write something, anything. Even if it’s nonsense. Even if it makes no sense in your story. You can always fix it later.

But you can’t fix what doesn’t exist.

So write. Let your hero say something dumb. Let your cat call 911. Keep going. Because at the end of the day, the hardest part isn’t writing, it’s getting unstuck. And once you do that? The rest will fall into place.

Have you ever written something completely ridiculous just to get past a block? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear about it!