Whether you’re scribbling your first short story or finishing your seventh novel, writer’s block hits us all. Laura Wilkinson, a seasoned novelist and tutor on the Certificate in Fiction Writing and MA Creative Writing and Publishing at West Dean, knows this feeling well. With seven published novels (two under a pseudonym), including That Night In New York (2024) and Skin Deep (2017), she’s been face to face with a blank page more than a few times.

In this post, Laura shares practical, honest - and sometimes unexpected - tips on how to beat writer’s block and get the words flowing again.

1. Get rid of distractions

An obvious but biggie to start. Lock your phone in a safe and ask a friend to change the code. Turn your Wi-Fi off. We live in a world of multiple calls on our attention and all too often writer’s block is thinly disguised distraction. If you have a partner or children who constantly interrupt you, go to a library, a mate’s house, a café… anywhere the blighter(s) can’t find you.

‘I can’t blame modern technology for my predilection for distraction, not after all the hours I’ve spent watching lost balloons disappear into the clouds. I did it before the Internet, and I’ll do it after the apocalypse, assuming we still have helium and weak-gripped children.’ Colson Whitehead

2. Forget perfectionism

Hemingway famously said all first drafts are sh*t (or something like that). The crucial thing is to get words down, even if what lands on the page isn’t as shiny and magical as it was when you dreamed it up (spoiler alert – it never is). Early drafts don’t have to be perfect; they just have to be written. If your scene lacks the emotional impact you’re after, or your leading character comes across like a wet lettuce, or your plot feels lame – don’t panic. You can always make it better. But without anything to improve you have precisely nothing. And regardless, no book is perfect, because we (writers, humans) are not perfect.

‘If I waited for perfection, I’d never write a word.’ Margaret Atwood

3. Nurture yourself and take inspiration in the world around you

Set your project aside for an hour, a day, a week, a month, though much longer than a month and I’d check your motivation – is this really the story you should be telling right now? Work on something else. Take a walk, a swim, meditate, go eat cake, drink coffee/ wine/whisky (delete as appropriate). Have a nap. Look after yourself and your creativity. Writing is hard. Keep the faith that the words will return.

‘You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.’ Jack London

4. Don’t wait for the muse (they’re an awkward, unreliable bugger)

Work out your optimal writing time and establish a habit. Habits are notoriously hard to break. The beginning and end of the day is commonly good as the myriad demands on our time are often at their quietest then. Rituals can help too, though beware of them becoming a form of procrastination.

‘First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.’ Octavia Butler

5. Check your motivation

Discipline is linked to motivation. If your motivation for sitting down to write is strong, then the discipline will follow. By the same token, if you’re struggling with discipline, check your motivation. How badly do you really want to write this story? To be a writer? That said, if you feel low, lack energy, but can’t really identify why, and you’ve tried numerous approaches to no avail, you might be hitting burnout. Take a break.

‘Over any extended period of time, being an artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline. Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process, a loving recognition of all the creativity around us.’ Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

Find out more about creative writing courses at West Dean, from the Certificate in Fiction Writing, to the MA Creative Writing and Publishing.