What’s the #1 issue aspiring authors hit as they reach for their book goals? They’re just not writing!
Regardless of their good intentions, the words are not flying on the page the way they’d like.
Sound like you? If so, you may need to ask yourself the world’s simplest question:
What’s really going on?
Yeah, this sounds a little too simple, right? But srsly—have you tried it?
Because until you’ve zeroed in on the specific issues you’re facing, it’s far too easy to get caught in the washing machine of stuckness.
Which goes:
- Not writing
- Beating yourself up about not writing
- Promising yourself you’ll start writing
- Not writing
- Repeat
Ugh—no fun for anybody!
So let’s go back to basics.
If you’re not writing, what’s really going on?
❌ Maybe your writing schedule is unrealistic.
❌ Maybe your household is too loud and distracting.
❌ Maybe you’re editing every word over and over, getting no further than a page or a paragraph or—gulp—a sentence without trying to make it even more perfect.
Each one of these problems has a very different solution.
Unrealistic goals? → ✅ Create a doable writing schedule that you can actually stick to (try ours here)
Noisy environment? → ✅ Go write at the library or a coffee shop
Death by editing? → ✅ Put a moratorium on editing until you have a first draft
See? Very different solutions even though they each come from the same “symptom”—not writing!
(And none of them includes “I’m a failure” or “I’ll never meet my goals” or any of those other nasty stories we use to beat ourselves up!)
We hope this gets you one step closer to holding a finished book in your hands!
7 thoughts on “Are you stuck? How to get writing again!”
This was just what I needed to read today!
I have long had a first draft; gave it to 3 people to read. 2 did not finish it, one wrote a scathing review at the end of which he said: “The truth is, it’s probably a good book. I just couldn’t get past the way it was written.” At some time I did change my writing style. I don’t know why. I should have kept to my original voice, but now the idea of going back through the book and doing that is daunting! I am stopped! Any advice would be so welcome.
Congratulations on finishing the first draft! That’s HUGE! It sounds like you’re stuck because you think editing will be daunting. A big part of publishing a book is editing the book. Nothing has gone wrong. It’s just time to switch into the next phase. Have you had a call with one of our Publishing Consultants yet? They will be able to help you get clear on your next steps and provide a support plan for you. You can book a free call with one here: https://knliterary.com/schedule/
My issue on my novel is I have formed the habit of needing to re-read the manuscript before I can continue again, otherwise I can’t get it to flow as it previously did.
I’ve tried just carrying on from the last sentence, but it just dosent work?
Thanks for your comment, John! You could commit to not re-reading and plan on fixing the flow in the editing process. Or re-read just three paragraphs before writing. Are you writing daily or are there longer periods of time in between writing sessions?
Oh my goodness, this is exactly what I needed to hear. Its like you read my mind. I’ve been struggling to just do the thing my heart and soul yearn for -writing. But Creating boundaries to actually get it done has been so hard. During my new moon circles I get everyone else to write their Intention down and thought – what about mine?! I needed to write down what I want to focus on this moonth cycle and so set s date for my deadline and have now blocked out time once a week to go visit my local coffee shop. Just carving out the time knowing that space is just for me has already given me the boost I needed. Thank you for the nudge.
#letsdothis
Stacey Suter
Wales
@staceysuter1
So glad it helped Stacey! Enjoy your coffee shop writing sessions!