What should I write next?

That is a common question we writers (?) ask ourselves. Whether we write short blog posts and restaurant reviews or full-blown novels and fiction trilogies, we often get stuck. This phenomenon is commonly known as writer's block. We feel desperate and try our best not to go insane when the creative juices dry up, and we have nothing to write about. We feel like we cannot produce anything of value to ourselves or our audience (if we have one). Human creativity is not yet fully understood, but there are tricks to help lubricate our brains and prime them for the next writing session.

Writer's block (in my opinion) cannot be attributed to one cause and cannot be addressed with one solution. When you are presented with such an obstacle, your goal is to understand what causes your block and then address it properly.

The first reason for writer's block is striving for perfection.

Perfection does not exist. Our world is imperfect, our environment is imperfect, and the people around us have many flaws. We observe these subjects every day, and these are the subjects by which we wire our brains to be creative. If nothing is perfect and without flaws, why do we keep ourselves always accountable to produce a perfect work of writing? We simply cannot. Instead, we should strive for perfection because we usually end up with something great, not perfect. 

Striving for perfection is something that we cannot directly influence since evolution programmed us to never be satisfied and always seek something better. This is the exact reason why we progressed so much as human beings. If our ancestors were satisfied, we would never leave the caves nor discover fire.

The real problem is that we expect perfection (or something great) without patience. Every great work of art took an immeasurable amount of time to be produced. We cannot take shortcuts and expect to achieve greatness. We can (and most of us do) get better and better, but must keep in mind that it takes patience, time, and constant effort to be satisfied with our work.

The second reason is not continuing to write.

The second we get writer's block, we begin overthinking every possibility to overcome it. This is a great hack when used for a short time, but it can lead to a dangerous trap that stunts our productivity. After a short period, we reach a point when we just cannot write that chapter or that paragraph, and we must move on. If you're writing a novel, then move on to the next chapter, and if you're writing blog posts, just move on to the next one.

Refrain from contemplating too much why this blog post isn't working or why this chapter feels dull. You have a lot of other things to do, and you sabotage yourself by continuing to dwell on one problem when there are many others to be solved. This blog post was my writer's block for a long time. I knew I wanted to write something about this topic, but just couldn't make myself past the title. Now that the inspiration is back, I sit down and finish it.

The third reason for the writer’s block is fear.

Fear is the mind-killer. When we are afraid, our creativity and productivity plummet, and we are unable to produce anything.

It is worth mentioning, however, that some people use adrenaline before the deadline to motivate themselves to work harder. While this tactic works for some short-term goals, the adrenaline is not the long-term solution for productive and fulfilling writing. Fight or flight response robs us of our creativity and leaves us exhausted and miserable after the deadline.

The fastest way to hate your work is to overwork, and the second fastest is to only work under pressure. Remember how you hate studying something if you know beforehand that you are low on time and will barely manage to revise enough for your test. The same goes for writing. Set enough time and start as soon as you can because the deadline will approach, and you do not want to be miserable and anxious during OR after writing.

The best advice is to just start.

Write anything. Anything. There are a few writing practices you can use to get going once you are stuck. 

My favorite is the Traveler practice. 

Imagine you are a traveler entering an unknown city. Your first goal is to describe the scenery: what can you see, hear, smell, etc. The second goal is to describe the people you see: tall, short, light-skinned, or dark-skinned, and describe their clothes and demeanor. The third goal is to describe an event that happened: Is there a robbery in town, did a giant meteor crash, and you have to escape or help people in town? Repeat these three goals several times, and each time change the whole setting. 

For example, in the first scenario, you are a cowboy entering a small town in the far west. You are mounted on a white horse with brown leather straps and a revolver that you found in an Apache village a few miles before. Upon entering the town, you see that the town is empty and barren. The only sound is the sound of your lips smacking on each other, searching for any moisture in the dry Texas air. You can’t smell anything since your face and mouth are covered by a piece of silk cloth, an improvised sandstorm cover. There are no footsteps in the dirt, nor chatter of the people in the street. As you carefully observe one big wooden house in the middle of this desert, you hear a gunshot.

In the next scenario, you might be an alien that came crashing on a fallen star, or a medical student who found the cure to cancer and is now chased by government officials.

The goal of these exercises is to get going, and once you get going, it is far easier to continue despite whatever caused your block in the first place.

The fourth (and probably the most common) reason for your writer’s block is burnout. 

I could ramble all day about types of burnout, but I think the internet’s Productivity Daddy explains it much more elegantly than I can:

"First up, there are the burnouts that come about from simply taking on too much work. Your mood is suffering because you’re packing too much into each day. I call these overexertion burnouts. Next, there are burnouts that relate to a misguided approach to rest. Your mood is suffering because you haven’t given yourself the deeper periods of time off that you need – not just little breaks throughout the day, but the longer breaks that recharge the energy of your mind, body, and spirit. I call these depletion burnouts. Finally, there are burnouts that relate to doing the wrong stuff. Your mood is suffering because of the weeks, years or decades when you’ve put all your efforts into something that doesn’t bring you joy or meaning, and it has worn you down. You’ve been using your energy in the wrong way. I call these misalignment burnouts." -Ali Abdaal

If you like this explanation, I would highly recommend that you check Ali’s book: “Feel Good Productivity”.

So, let’s summarize:

Writer's block is a common struggle for all kinds of writers, from bloggers to novelists. It doesn’t have a single cause or a one-size-fits-all solution, but understanding why you’re stuck can help you move past it.

1. Perfectionism

We often block ourselves by trying to create something perfect. But perfection is unattainable. Instead, aim for progress and trust that greatness takes time, patience, and consistent effort.

2. Not Moving On

Overanalyzing a stuck piece can halt productivity. If a blog or chapter isn’t working, move to the next one. Don’t let one stuck idea slow your entire process.

3. Fear

Fear of failure or judgment can kill creativity. While adrenaline may help in short bursts, constantly writing under pressure drains joy and leads to burnout. Start early and give yourself breathing room.

4. Burnout

Burnout is often the root of writer’s block. Ali Abdaal defines three types:

• Overexertion burnout – doing too much.
• Depletion burnout – not resting enough.
• Misalignment burnout – spending time on work that lacks meaning.

5. Just Start Writing

One way to overcome the block is with freeform exercises, like the Traveler practice: imagine yourself entering a new place and describe everything — the setting, people, events. This will jumpstart your creativity and get words flowing again.