How To Overcome Writer’s Block

Hello readers and writerly friends!

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! In this blog post, we’re discussing writer’s block and all it encompasses, how to overcome it, and how to keep it from interfering with your creativity. There's thousands of other posts and articles out there that explain this topic, to be sure. But I am diving deep and explaining my own personal experience with writer’s block, how I overcame it, and how you can too. This post will deconstruct the nebulous concept of writer’s block and break it down into easily understandable symptoms and actionable and effective steps for curing these symptoms. This post is a longer one, so grab your coffee, tea, and your notepad and let’s get into it!

What Is Writer’s Block? 

Writer’s block is the kryptonite to a writer’s superpower—creativity. Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page, unable to write? Perhaps you feel paralyzed by fear or unable to begin the process. Perhaps you move your hands to the keyboard, or lift your pencil to the page time and time again, only to pull them away, thinking hmm, why won’t the words just flow? Writer’s block happens to nearly every writer; it’s inevitable. Writer’s block is the inability to freely dive into writing and the feeling that whatever words come from your fingertips aren’t worth writing in the first place or won’t be good enough.

What Does Writer’s Block Look Like?

It looks like a writer hunched over their keyboard or notebook with a furrow in their brow, a purse in their lips, and a blank page before them. It looks like a lack of motivation, inspiration, or consistency. It looks like notes and binders and word documents galore, but no completed book or short story to tie them all together. It looks like an untouched laptop or notepad gathering dust in the corner. Writer’s block presents itself differently for every writer, but the symptoms are often the same.  The bad news? You’ve diagnosed yourself with writer’s block. But the good news? It’s treatable and an obstacle you can definitely overcome. 

What causes writer’s block?

Writer’s block, while perhaps not a proper medical condition, is a creative hurdle that stops many writers in their tracks. It stems from inexperience, underdeveloped ideas, burnout, a lack of enthusiasm, motivation, or inspiration, fear of rejection or a feeling of inadequacy when it comes to a writer’s own abilities, and maintaining a lifestyle that does not support the habit of writing. Seasoned and aspiring writers alike can suffer from this roadblock in the creative process, but with time, practice, and perseverance, writers can push past this block and eventually leave it in the dust altogether. 

A woman working on a Macbook. Photo by Elisa Ventur.

Why Am I Experiencing Writer’s Block?

You may find the answer to this question below:

• Inexperience: Many novice writers do not know where to begin. They don’t know how to write a story, let alone develop and format a book. They don’t know the rules of writing and that inexperience can hold them back from unleashing their creative potential. If you want to be a writer, and a successful one at that, you must educate yourself on writing tools, best practices, and storytelling as an artform. This is the foundation of being an effective and knowledgeable writer. Read books about writing, take classes and attend workshops to build your skills with practice and feedback.  

• Underdeveloped ideas: Many writers find themselves unable to start writing because the ideas they want to write from are not fully developed. Brainstorming and research are crucial parts of the writing process. Writing from a vague idea is much, much harder than writing from a fully-realized idea. Depending on the genre you’re writing from, take all aspects of the story and cultivate them so they can grow from a budding seed of inspiration to a blossoming concept. For example, if you’re writing a fantasy story, write detailed descriptions of all the characters, settings, world cultures, religions, and histories, timelines, and events. These wordy descriptions will likely not make it into your draft, but they will serve as notes for you to expand and refine your ideas as you write. If you can see it so clearly in your mind’s eye, then you can write from it as if you were really looking at your main characters in their world, with your own two eyes. 

• Lack of enthusiasm: Some writers suffer from a lack of enthusiasm about what they’re writing. This can be a difficult hurdle to overcome especially if you write for work and don’t have much of a choice in the subject matter. For those who fall into this category, you have three choices: make some kind of personal connection to the subject matter, or find a new writing job, or write for pleasure instead. For those who have an idea they really like, but feel disconnected from it or as if they don’t know enough about the topic to write on it, go back to the Inexperience bullet point. Educate yourself on the topic thoroughly enough that you can confidently and accurately write about it without feeling like you’re writing in the dark.  

• Lack of motivation: Many writers feel a lack of motivation when it comes to writing. This symptom of writer’s block can be one of the hardest to push past. Writers who feel unmotivated should take a realistic look at their lives and consider why they may feel that lack of motivation. Do you feel like writing at all? Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy storytelling and developing ideas? Do you enjoy making connections with others and sharing experiences? Do you enjoy bringing an idea to life? If any of your answers to these questions were a no, why? Why do you dislike any of these steps?

  If you found yourself saying no, why are you writing —or not writing —in the first place? Why label yourself as a writer, if it's not something you actually want to do? Many writers never end up writing a book, but they don this title and put immense pressure on themselves to engage in an activity that truly doesn’t resonate with themselves. Dig deep and determine if you want to write, why you want to write, and why you are a writer. This why is your reason for doing what you do and it’s going to help you shift your mindset in a big way. If writing is your passion and purpose and being a writer is part of your identity, it will help excite and motivate you to practice writing, because it's what you do. Find your personal connection to writing and take it with you into every writing session. 

• Lack of inspiration: Many people who want to write a book feel as if they have nothing to write about. While a strong feeling, this idea couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every single person has a unique perspective and worldview. Every person has a unique experience. No two lives are identical and in turn, no two stories are the same. Your unique existence is valid and so is your story. If you feel like you don’t have a story or idea to write about, write from real life. Write from your experiences and memories. If you don’t want to write about your personal experiences, write fictional stories that you wish were true about your life. Go back to the Inexperience and Underdeveloped Ideas bullet points and follow those steps. Read other books from the genres you want to write from. Research topics, themes, and ideas, then develop them further into elements you can craft a story from. I like to think the writing process is like building sand castles on the beach —you have billions of grains of sand to work from, but for the castle to take shape, you must sculpt, carve, mold, chisel, and join those grains together. You must work those grains of sand until they form the shape you’re going for. 

Diagnosing & Treating Writer’s Block. Graphic by Payton Hayes.

• Fear of rejection: Many writers struggle with the fear of rejection whether they are aware of this or not. It comes from a combination of Inexperience, Underdeveloped Ideas, and a low self esteem as a writer. These writers may feel confidence in other areas of their lives —they may do well in school or their jobs, they may feel confidence in their physical appearances, they may be aware of other activities they excel at, but when it comes to writing, they don’t believe in themselves or their abilities. The key to overcoming this struggle is practice. Practice, practice, practice. For many writers, the process of writing is very personal and tied closely to their identity. For this reason, it can be difficult for writers to put themselves and their work out there. However, this can be one of the most freeing experiences and is vital to your growth as a writer. When I started seriously writing, I kept my fantasy stories close to my heart. I never let my friends or family read them because I didn’t want them to actually know what my writing was like, for better or worse. They knew I was a writer, but they didn’t know if I was a good or bad writer, and I clung to that uncertainty. I didn’t put my writing online or allow others to read it until much, much later, when I was in college and was somewhat forced to let others into my thoughts, emotions, and written words. From discussion posts in my online courses to writing workshops and critiques in my creative writing classes, to instructor feedback, I was required to put my writing out there, in some form or another.

  What I came to realize was that I should have done this much, much sooner. I would have never broken out of my shell as a writer and a person, had I not been vulnerable and put my work out into the world for others to see, read, like, dislike, criticize, judge, compliment, and tear apart. I was terrified that someone would read my stories and think wow, this is truly poor writing. The reality is that any artform is subjective. We hear this a lot when it comes to visual art, but the same is true for writing. Subjective means “based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions” and when it comes to writing, this means readers will bring their own unique perspectives, worldviews, emotions, experiences, and opinions into the work, whether they are aware of it or not. There is nothing writers can do to stop readers from doing this, and they shouldn’t try to. As a writer, you must allow this fact of life to free you from the confines of wanting to please everyone. Allow yourself to let go of the desire to control other people’s opinions and interpretations of your work. It’s an impossibly unrealistic, unattainable, and unhealthy expectation. Whenever I find myself worrying over how others will react to my writing, I try to remember two things: Buddhism and peaches.

  Let me explain.

  Look, I’m not a Buddhist and I’m not telling you to convert to Buddhism. However Buddhists do practice the art of surrender. This concept is based on letting go of what one cannot control. You cannot control how others react to your writing. You cannot make them like it. You cannot please every single person with your writing, so just let this go. One of my favorite quotes is from Dita Von Teese who said, “You can be the ripest, juiciest, peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” There will always be someone who doesn’t like peaches and there will always be someone who can find something they don’t like about your writing. Free yourself from the desire to be liked by everyone, by being okay with rejection. Embrace it. Allow yourself to be disliked, criticized, and unaccepted. Allow yourself to produce bad writing. Allow yourself to fail. By doing this, you remove the pressure to be perfect and allow yourself to be. You allow yourself to write, no matter what comes of it. You allow yourself to grow as a writer and a person. 

• Writing conducive lifestyle: Many writers have a hard time writing because they do not lead a life that aligns with being a writer. To be a writer, you must have time to dedicate to reading, researching, studying, writing, editing, and honing your skills. Being a writer in practice rather than name, is more than just writing. To be a writer, you must live a life that supports the regular practice of writing and all that process entails. Writing is not only an activity, it is a lifestyle and a long-term practice. It takes years of dedication, consistency, and practice to result in expert, well-honed writing skills. If you have children or a busy life, you may find it quite difficult to carve out time to write, but it is paramount to being a good writer, let alone finding success in writing. If you answered the questions in the Lack of motivation bullet point, then by now, you should know whether or not you really want to continue writing. If the answer is no, you should probably look into something else. However, if you do, then your next objective is to set aside time every day to improve your writing. Make this a realistic and attainable goal and track your progress as you go. Start out simple and ensure your path is the one of least resistance from both yourself and others in your life. 

How To Defeat Writer’s Block. Graphic by Payton Hayes.

How Do I Overcome Writer’s Block?

If you read through those lengthy bullet points, then by now, you know what must be done. You know what writer’s block is, what it looks like, how it affects writers, where it comes from. Now that you understand writer’s block, it is time to take action. I’ve listed several ways you can combat writer’s block. Practicing these steps will help you build the muscles you need to defeat writer's block whenever it rears its big ugly head. I have also designed a printable flier for you to put up in your writing area, so you can always have these tips equipped and at the ready when writer’s block strikes. 

• Writing everyday: If you are a writer, make writing a priority. The choice is up to you. If you’ve decided writing is your purpose, then make it a daily practice and make no exceptions. Tell yourself the affirmation: Writers write. I am a writer, and I am going to write. Set aside a specific time each day that you sit down and write. You will likely need more time to research, brainstorm, read, and do other writing-adjacent activities, but make sure you write every.single.day. Start with five, ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes at a time, depending on your experience and ability. If you haven’t written in months or years, set aside five minutes each day to write. Find some writing prompts or writing exercises and set a timer, then write until the timer beeps. Chances are you will feel compelled to continue writing past the time you set, but don’t force yourself to do so. If you want to spend five minutes each day working on the same writing project, you can do that too. Gradually increase your writing time as you strengthen those writing muscles and build the habit into your life. It takes twenty-one days to build a habit. That comes out to 1.75 hours across three weeks. When broken down into manageable chunks, a consistent, daily writing practice becomes more possible and over time, it becomes less like a manual task and more automatic. Five minutes every day. That’s all it takes!

• Writing workspace: To make your daily writing practice easier, design a workspace that makes you want to write. Invest in a comfortable desk chair or a standing desk if necessary. Turn on soft lighting and play some instrumental music to help relax your mind while you let the creative juices flow. Make sure you have snacks and a nice warm beverage on hand. You can train your brain to get into writing mode by doing the same thing at the same time every day and employing all five senses to reinforce the habit. For example, if you want to write for ten minutes every day, starting at 7:00 p.m., start by playing your favorite song or an instrumental track you enjoy to remind yourself that it's time to write. Bonus points if you set an alarm to go off at 7:00 p.m. with the song, so it's automated and not on you to remember. While the song is playing, make yourself a cup of tea, grab a fruit or bag of chips, and get your workstation and timer ready. When you’re ready to go, start writing, and don’t stop. Remember, you’re not writing the most amazing, perfect words ever put together on earth. Just write.

• Establish a rewards system that incentivizes you to write. We all enjoy different things—some of us enjoy shopping, others enjoy playing video games, and some enjoy eating delicious food. Without being counterproductive to your other goals or negatively impacting your health, come up with a rewards system that will help you reach your writing goals. If it’s your goal to write so many words each week, set a reward that will encourage and excite you to sit down to write and accomplish that goal. For example, I would like to buy a new book or two. I won’t get a new book until I finish reading one I already own, so I don’t have a bunch of unread books on my shelf. The same principle goes for writing. If you want to reach that weekly word count goal, write for the reward. You don’t have to write perfectly, just get those words onto the page. 

• Take care of yourself and your health: This advice is not just for writers, but because writing is so personal and tied to our mental and emotional health, self-care is an important step in creating a lifestyle that supports writing. Get plenty of quality sleep, practice good hygiene, maintain a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. For people with disabilities, mental illness, or neurodivergence, get any necessary assistance if you haven’t yet. 

Some Additional Tips For Combatting Writer’s Bock

• Try morning pages or a brain dump. Before you sit down to write or work on an ongoing project, try freeing your mind. The concept of “Morning Pages” comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and can be an effective strategy for getting all the mental distractions out of your way before you actually start writing. Like the name suggests, brain dump pages or morning pages are simply a page or two of everything on your mind that you want to offload so you can think clearly. It can be total nonsense, a to-do list, a stream of consciousness, a series of mad ramblings —whatever it is, get it out of your head and onto the page so you can make room for the real writing. 

• Let yourself write garbage. If you’re struggling with perfectionism and overcoming your judgmental internal editor, let yourself be okay with writing garbage. Create a new draft and title it “trash draft” if you like. Then write with reckless abandon. You can write about whatever you like or you can work on a project you’ve been writing. Make your internal editor take a backseat to your internal writer and watch as the story takes shape on the page. No writer creates perfection in the first draft, so stop telling yourself the rough draft is bad. A garbage page is better than nothing. You can create treasures from a pile of trash, but you cannot edit a blank page.

• Get involved in a writing community. If external accountability is more effective for you, get connected with other writers. Network with writers, editors, publishers, and published authors for advice, craft tips, editorial news, and external motivation to keep writing. Sometimes, having a writing community can be more powerful for combating writer’s block that a routine or paycheck. Writing communities are a great way for writers to celebrate one another’s accomplishments and receive truly helpful feedback on writing. 

Writer’s Block As A Result of Burnout

If you’ve made it this far, then the next piece of advice will sound quite contradictory to everything said thus far. If you’re experiencing writer’s block as a symptom of burnout, take a break. Stop writing. I know, it sounds crazy! First, I’m telling you to write, then telling you not to write. Trust me. 

If you’ve done everything advised so far and nothing has worked, don’t force yourself to write when you just can’t. I’m not saying give up, but give yourself time and patience to recover from the burnout before jumping back into writing. When it is time to dive back in, do so slowly and with grace. Stick your toe in the water before diving in headfirst. If you’ve been stuck on a book for years and nothing you do can make you want to continue writing it, try writing something else. Take a break. When it’s time, you’ll come back to it. And if it’s time for you to pivot, don’t judge yourself for doing so. It may be time for a change. 

Thinking Realistically About Creativity

Creativity sometimes comes from a spark of inspiration, the elusive mystical muse that chooses to strike at random. But most often, creativity is a skill you practice regularly, and it’s not as glamorous as the media makes it seem. Writing is hard work and it requires a healthy lifestyle, commitment, vulnerability, and consistency rather than artistic brilliance. Either you’ve chosen to be a writer, or writing has chosen you. If this is indeed the path you wish to take, you must go all in. I’m not telling you it’s always easy, but it does get easier with time, practice, and perseverance. When I first started out, I went years between working on chapters of the same book. Now, I write multiple blog posts each week. I still struggle with feeling motivated or excited to write. Whenever I’m dragging myself to my writing desk rather than running, go through the steps to ensure I am doing everything in my power to get myself to write. It usually works, and then once in a while it doesn’t and I know it’s time for a break. Give yourself some grace as a writer and as a human. There's a million things out there that could affect you or get in the way of your writing practice. But if you’re dedicated, determined, and willing to put in the effort, you can be a writer, and your writing will improve with every session. 

You’re a writer. Writing is what you do. It’s in your bones. It is your purpose and your reason. Writing is your destiny. Now write.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope it helped you to better understand yourself as a writer, the struggle of writer’s block, and how to overcome it and become a better writer. If you enjoyed this post or if it helped you in some way, please leave me a comment! I’d love to know your thoughts! If you’d like to read more writing advice from me, please check out the recent posts from my blog below!

Bibliography

1. Ventur, Elisa. (@elisa_ventur) “a business woman who is frustrated because she is working too much.“ Unsplash photo, May 12, 2021 (Thumbnail photo).

2. Hayes, Payton. “How To Overcome Writer’s Block.” Shayla Raquel’s Blog, February 7, 2023.

3. Hayes, Payton. “Diagnosing & Treating Writer’s Block.” Graphic created with Canva, February 7, 2023.

4. Hayes, Payton. “How To Defeat Writer’s Block.” Graphic created with Canva, February 7, 2023.

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• Blank Pages Versus Bad Pages: Overcoming Writer’s Block When The Editor Brain Is At War With The Writer Brain

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*This article was originally posted in 2023 as an online exclusive for Shaylaraquel.com, but since the site is currently offline, I’ve reposted my article here so other writers can try the tips and tricks that worked for me. If Shaylaraquel.com goes live again, I will redirect traffic back to the original post.

Written by Payton Hayes. | Last Updated: March 17, 2025.

5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

It goes without saying that performance in any creative arena can benefit from healthy habits like getting plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and eating healthy, but what many people don’t know is that there are healthy habits for the mind as well! It’s important to practice self-care but it’s kind of hard to tell what information is useful and what isn’t with the rise of Twitter Self-Care posts. It seems like a buzzword that’s flippantly tossed around along with hustle, grind, and burnout. I wonder why. (Not really.) Below are some healthy habits that are known to increase productivity positivity by helping you to establish boundaries and build a healthy relationship with your creative self. These tips and tricks will help you be more productive both in your writing and other aspects of life.

1. Establish boundaries. Really. Set certain times for working creatively. This not only helps with consistency, but it helps you know you don’t have to procrastinate working on passion projects until creativity strikes. Likewise, make a space for yourself to create, freely. Don’t just work on the bed, and if you already work from home, use a different space. If you have a laptop, go to a local coffee shop or library to change the space, mood, and environment so that creativity can flow. Click here to read more about the Pomodoro Technique and how you can use it to improve your daily writing habits.

2. Get involved with the writing community. Follow other writers who inspire you. Follow writing prompt pages on Instagram. Join Facebook groups for writers, readers, and editors. Join or put together a local critique group for writers in your area. Being involved in the writing community is incredibly useful since it grants you access to a wider array of resources, feedback, and people who will act as sounding boards. You will find there are tons of people from all different walks of life in the writing community, and there is something to learn from each of them.

3. Set up creative free time such as leisure reading or journaling. These two are almost passive activities that benefit you immensely as a writer. To specialize in one genre, you must read extensively in that genre to be come familiar with what is out there. To ease the fear of writing and the misguided need for perfection, set special time aside for journaling. Just a few minutes will do—but give yourself permission to write absolute garbage and be okay with it. Click here to read more about how writing everyday helps cure writer’s block!

   “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” -Stephen King

4. Participate in monthly writing challenges. Writing challenges are fun, engaging, and inspiring.  Instagram has plenty of daily creative writing prompts for each day of the month and NaNoWriMo is a great kickstart program for writing novels. There are tons of other writing challenges out there so see what you can find and challenge yourself to write in ways you never thought of before!

5. Set up a rewards system that doesn’t get you in trouble in other areas of your life. When we hear the words “reward system” we often think, oh great, now the writing blogger is contradicting my dietician by saying I should have brownies as a reward for writing… no? Then it’s just me, I guess. But it’s always the same—rewards that are counterproductive for our other goals. Two things can coexist, people! I suggest you set up a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly reward system so that each time you meet your goal you get points which you can put towards something such as spending time watching your favorite series or playing games. See how these three items are all leisure activities. However, if you take time from your Netflix binge, you’re not losing out in other areas of your life. My dad always tells me “What do writers do? They write,” and he’s totally right about that. If you’re a serious writer, you absolutely must make time for it, even if that means sacrificing other leisure activities., because if it’s your passion, it’s worth it. Save the bigger rewards such as the occasional sweet or a night out on the town or even that new handbag, for the bigger milestones in your writing, like the first 50,000 words, your completed rough draft, and the revised, final draft, et cetera.

And there you go! Those are my 5 Healthy Habits for Every Writer. Of course, these tips can be applies to any creative outlet such as film-making or drawing, but the important takeaways are that you’ve got to set boundaries and commit to them, challenge yourself, get involved, make time for leisure activities, and set up a sustainable rewards system.

Comment below if you’ve heard of any of these before and which ones were new to you! Also, if you try this guide out, comment below! I’d love to know how it helped you and what creative outlet you used it for!

Thumbnail photo by Pineapple Supply Co.

—Payton

Summer Vacation For Writers: 10 Rules For Writing Your Book On The Beach

With Spring break right around the corner, I think it’s high time we start planning out our travel writing goals and getting together a list of things we’ll need to make the most of our writing vacation! Have you ever traveled to write? Or perhaps you’ve written while travelling? No matter the reason you’re on the road, you’ve got an incredible opportunity to get out of your usual writing environment—one of the leading cures to writer’s block, so make use of your time away from home write with your newfound inspiration and motivation!

I spent an entire month one summer (June-July 2016) in Port Aransas, Texas and it was amazing for my creativity. I wasn’t working on a book at the time, but I was writing multiple poems a day and designing my website, the latter of which required charismatic copywriting. Getting out of my usual writing space was monumental for my writing following that summer because it kickstarted my creativity in a way that prepared me for when I got back home and began writing the first draft of my fantasy novel.

Even though I was on vacation, it wasn’t all fun and games. I did have to do some writing to make sure I made the most of my time there. To keep you on track with writing while travelling, I’ve made a list of 10 rules for writing on the beach!

Beachy patio view. Photo by Sabel Blanco.

Secure a stellar view

I’m not kidding. If you don’t have a gorgeous view from your balcony, what’s the point of writing on the beach? Ocean-front lodging is a must if you’re a travelling writer. Not only is the view beautiful and awe-inspiring, but you’ll have plenty of photo opportunities. This is a must-have for any content creator, really.

Set up goals for the trip

Just like any other writing challenge, you should outline your goals. Establish a word count and a daily expected word count and outline your novel. It’s like preparing for NaNoWriMo—in order to make every moment of this creative trip count, you should do as much planning as possible, beforehand. That way, you can focus on writing and enjoying the sun while you’re there. Scrivener is a great tool for story outlining and even has a word count tracker that allows you to set a projected word count and keep track of your daily writing goals.

Soak up the sun and solitude

It’s not everyday you can wake -up feet from the sand and sun—that is unless you actually already live on the beach, which if that’s the case, I a) envy you and b) don’t know why you’re reading this blog post and not enjoying the sun!

Take writing breaks by walking in the sand, sunbathing, and swimming. Enjoy everything the beach has to offer and be sure to really absorb the experience. When you’re writing, enjoy the solitude away from home. No sound, no interruptions, and no distractions. It sounds like a writer’s haven to me!

Make sure to pack all the essentials

There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and realizing you’ve forgotten something you knew you needed to pack. I’ve made a little mini list for writers to ensure they’ve got all the right tools in their toolkit for writing on the beach.

Don’t forget to bring these essential travel writing items with you on your trip to the beach:

• your favorite pair of sunglasses

• The Novel Planner for Authors by Kristen Kieffer

• On Being Stuck by Laraine Herring

• your Laptop—and the charger!

• your Story Binder with all your writing notes

• a notebook to jot down random ideas and inspiration

• a novel in another genre for leisure reading

• sunscreen. Don’t forget the sunscreen.

• you might bring aloe vera too, just in case…

 Limit your exposure

Vacation means “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling” and not “checking my phone every two minutes when I should be writing.” Yes, I am talking to you, dear reader. Don’t waste your valuable vacation time reading emails, hanging out on social media platforms, or checking your text messages. Limit your phone use and spend your time writing, reading, and enjoying the beach.

Of course, you do want to make use of that photo opportunity I mentioned earlier. Photos of the beach for Instagram are permitted. Bonus points if you take a selfie of you writing on the beach!

Catalogue the coffee shops

When you arrive, find the best coffee shops for writing and befriend the baristas. You don’t have to do all of your writing in the beach house or in the sand. I’d like to think you’re researching in the coffee shop, reading on the beach, and writing at the beach house/condo. Keep your activities compartmentalized for optimum focus and consume copious amounts of coffee for maximum productivity. Okay, maybe maximum jitteriness is more accurate, but this is my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

Talk to strangers

Yes, I know—your parents told you not to talk to strangers and while in most cases that is decent advice, don’t heed it while travelling. New places + new people = new conversations and new experiences! Chat it up with the locals and try to research your novel. Maybe your YA contemporary has a surfer guy in it? See if you can find a surfing instructor or rando on the beach that can lend their experience to your craft.

Make time for margaritas!

This is especially true if you’re travelling to any of the beaches in Texas. Make time to let lose and enjoy the free time. If you’re on vacation with friends, spend a night out and see the sights your destination has to offer. Grab drinks go dancing with the locals! If it’s just you, pop open a bottle of wine and read under the stars. Even though this trip is an amazing opportunity for writing, don’t forget to do the vacation-y activities as well.

Write, rest, repeat.

In addition to budgeting fun time into your travel schedule, you should also include time off from writing. You don’t have to write the entire trip and you should include some downtime for self-care that doesn’t include partying. Hit the spa, meditate, or strangely appropriate, take a long, walk down the beach and collect seashells at sunset.

Don’t get stuck rewriting.

It’s probably the hardest piece of advice in this entire blog post, but seriously, don’t get stuck rewriting. Work on writing only while you’re travelling and safe the editing for later, once you’re home and once you’ve completed the first draft. I know it can be so hard to quiet our editor brains, but we have to if we want to write effectively. Remember, the edits can wait, but the writing can’t. Stay focused and happy writing.

That’s it for my 10 rules for writing on the beach. This was my spin on another post from Shayla Raquel, so check out her post here! Comment below what you thought and if you’ve ever done any of these or if you have any tips of your own!

Thumbnail photo by Rodnae Productions.

—Payton

Writing Every Day: What Writing As A Journalist Taught Me About Deadlines & Discipline

A photo of the newsroom, FA 115, Rose State College, 2018. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Hello readers and writerly friends!

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! In this blog post, I’ll be outlining how working as a journalist taught me that being successful a successful writer means maintaining a daily writing practice. Just like with playing sports or being an opera singer, writers have to put in the practice to perfect their craft. Basketball players practice shooting hoops and dribbling so they can control the ball when its game time. Opera singers practice their scales and warm up their vocal chords to keep their voices clear and strong for performances. Writers must write every day to work out their writing muscles and keep the creativity flowing. In this post, I will go into detail about how working as a journalist got me into the practice of daily writing and what it taught me about deadlines and discipline.

After working as both a social media coordinator and a features writer at a local newspaper, I learned the writing process isn’t as complex as some make it out to be. This job taught me that I don’t have to wait for the right moment for creativity to strike or for the creative muse to grace me with its presence. For years, I believed I could only write during ungodly late hours of the night, when I was in the writing mood, or when I was in the right headspace to do my best work. The truth is that I was a) just procrastinating writing and postponing the growth of my craft and b) was never going to create my best works on the first draft anyways.

The latter has to be one of the hardest concepts to grasp as a writer and I’ve made multiple blog posts addressing it because was probably the biggest hurdle for me to overcome as a creative mind. I don’t doubt that thousands of other writers out there, struggle with this same problem—that writer’s block will pass and when it does you will do your best writing. The thing is—perfection is overrated. Even established, best-selling authors can expect poor quality writing in their rough draft. Its just a fact of the craft that a writer cannot create a perfect draft in the same breath as their first draft. You can read more about this topic in my blog post about blank pages versus bad pages here.

Not only have I learned that I shouldn’t set such high expectations for first drafts and that I should just write instead of waiting for the right moment, but I have also learned that with enough diligence and patience, I can harness and master creativity in an everyday routine. Working at the newspaper required me to adhere to strict deadlines and write on a routine to ensure each step of the publishing process was completed in a timely manner so that the paper made it to the press on time. This was a demanding job, but it taught me a lot about the writing process, even if it was journalism. Journalistic writing often requires you to write way a head of schedule so multiple edits can be made, and fact checking can be done before print. Demystifying the creative process has helped me to overcome writer’s block and the fear that comes with writing. It is certainly possible to commit to creative deadlines and longer projects.

Being a successful, professional writer means you can and must write consistently. Publishers and agents are looking for writers who write because it’s what they do and not how they feel. If all the great American writers stopped writing when they felt writer’s block begin to set in, the list of the Top 100 Books Everyone Should Read would be much shorter than a hundred books.

Another thing is, that if you write every day, you will become a better writer. The more you write and edit your work, the more familiar you become with the writing process. This not only removes the fear that comes with writing, but it is exactly as they say—practice makes perfect. By consistently practicing writing, you are effectively honing your skill and making yourself a better writer.

Over the years, I've learned that writer's block takes two forms; it appears as the lack of motivation to write or the lack of inspiration. While these two forms sound incredibly similar, there's an important distinction—motivation is the reason someone feels compelled to do something while inspiration is the sudden, brilliant creative idea that person feel compelled to create or bring to life.

Lack of motivation typically comes from burnout, wavering between the writer and editor mindset, feelings of inadequacy, and procrastination. Lack of inspiration comes from stagnancy, lack of stimulation, and lack of challenge. The key difference between the two is this: a writer cannot be inspired and unmotivated simultaneously, because inspiration acts as an entity of motivation. When a writer feels inspired, they may push through these negative feelings in order to achieve their goal and see their creation to the end. A lack of feeling inspired might stem from an environment that isn't conducive to growth, lack of stimulation, and lack of challenge.

I was inspired to write the blog post because of the sheer number of comments I get from writers who claim they can only write when they feel inspired or in the right frame of mind, when that is simply not true. What any prolific writer will tell you is that they’ve achieved success because of consistency, patience and dedication. If you truly love your craft and the art of storytelling, you owe it to yourself and your writing to honor these values.

Bibliography

• Hayes, Payton. “A photo of the newsroom, FA 115, Rose State College.” March 26, 2018.

• Hayes, Payton. “Study Tips To Slay Finals, My Article From The 15th Street News, April Issue.” April 10, 2017 (Thumbnail photo).

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Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 17, 2025