How to Free Yourself from a Creative Block Forever

Beyond common writing advice and finding inspiration across art forms

“Writer’s block” gets thrown around a lot in writing spaces but is rarely defined. In theory, it doesn’t need to be defined because we all know the feeling…and giving it too much attention is akin to looking at the monster too closely in a horror movie. It invites the bad thing in. But I think it’s useful to actually talk about what writer’s block means, because it comes in many different forms. Acknowledging this can help defeat it.

Despite the trope commonly found in movies, rarely does writer’s block actually look like literally staring at an empty document or page, slack-jawed and glass-eyed, no thoughts arriving. More often, it looks like getting stuck in a novel draft, unsure what comes next. Writing an essay that feels like it’s moving in circles rather than ever arriving at a coherent point. Knowing a sentiment you want to express in said essay but struggling to find the right words to do so. Concocting a character for fiction who you’re not quite sure what to do with. Having some but not all of the pieces can lead one to feeling stuck, uninspired, and overwhelmed by ideas (yes, I believe blocks are born from an abundance of ideas but lack of focus rather than a dearth of ideas). Blocks can take different shapes and sizes. Which is why I also don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to getting yourself out of them.

The most common advice is to read. That is great advice. It works in many cases and for many people. Engaging deeply with literature gets the gears moving.

But what about the times it doesn’t? Or what if your writing practice already builds in plenty of time to read, so doing so isn’t really a change of course? Because that’s what a block often requires: a disruption. You must do or seek out something slightly out of the ordinary. That’s where your creativity lives and thrives.

What’s below the paywall

• 3 ways to get unstuck in one sitting — writing exercises you can do right now

• How to find a prompt in anything — a song, a movie, a painting, whatever’s around you, the world is yours to take and make with

• How to keep your creative ideas flowing — so a creative block never stops you for long again

For this reason, I often go beyond the old “just read” adage when I feel a block looming over my writing sessions; I seek out inspiration and reinvigoration from other artforms. If you’re a multidisciplinary artist, you already know the power of letting different mediums feed each other. But even for those who work in multiple art forms, my advice is to step outside of all of them and seek out art in areas in which you do not work. See what you can learn from the practices you aren’t constantly trying to master. Story is everywhere: in songs, short films, paintings, tapestries, photographs, a child’s mosaic made of shells. Sometimes, looking at stories that take different shapes than your body of work can help you unlock new ideas and pull you right out of that block.

So yes, read a book, but also go to a museum. Maybe one where you live that you have not been to before; maybe one you’ve been to many times. The beauty of museums is that you likely haven’t engaged deeply with every single piece on display; even the small ones usually have rotating exhibits. And yes, I realize “go to a museum with a notebook and find inspiration” is a frustratingly broad prompt, which is why I won’t send you empty-handed. Here is the writing prompt I’ve used time and again, in all kinds of museums, which begins as a sort of straightforward journaling prompt but has often led to fully realized essays, short stories, and flash pieces.