Blank Page Paralysis: The feeling of being stuck when starting a new project due to a lack of ideas, inspiration, or motivation.

Otherwise known as Writer’s Block.

This is one of the biggest barriers to entry when it comes to starting a brand-new writing project. You’ve heard of Creative Flow in the past, perhaps you’ve even experienced it yourself, but in that moment it couldn’t seem further away.

Instead, you are facing a solid concrete wall – the blank page. It feels impossible to go from literally nothing to a completed paragraph, page, or even novel. The pressure on those first few words is insurmountable…how can you find the perfect opening sentence to tell a reader everything you’ve been imagining this project will say, be, or mean? Maybe it’s easier to stop before you’ve even started…

Never.

Take it from a Writing Coach – Blank Page Paralysis is just another normal part of the writing process. It means you really care about your project and want to do yourself proud.

Remember: It’s a step, not a stop sign. Try not to let the fear of starting something stand in the way of you reaching your full potential.

Instead, you need to experiment with ways to work through this opening writer’s block. For some it comes in the form of routine, others use writing hacks to trick their mind into creativity. In fact, there are countless ways to bust through Blank Page Paralysis and find your productivity.

To help get you started, I’ve created a list of my favourite Writing Exercises proven to help you access Creative Flow.

10 Best Exercises to Beat Writer’s Block

1. Writing Prompts: A writing prompt is a sentence starter or question designed to get you writing about something that couldn’t matter any less. That’s the beauty of them. A writing prompt removes any pressure on writing down the ‘perfect’ words to get you to focus on the process of getting your thoughts down on the page as quickly as possible. You can use my list of 30 Writing Prompts to get you started.
2. Your Point of View: Look around you. What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel? Allow yourself to write down as much detail as you can on your surroundings in the first-person, e.g. “In front of me I catch a glimpse of…”, “In the distance, I can hear the sound of…”, “I shiver at the cold breeze…”. How long can you go before running out of inspiration?
3. The Practice Round: Set a timer for 5 minutes and write a short, no-stakes opening to your project. As soon as that timer goes off you’re going to rip out the page and throw it away. Now that you have permission to write without fear of judgement, see what flows out. See out ideas in this time and let your mind wander with thoughts. There’s nothing to lose.
4. Word Association: Find a random word generator online and use it to produce 5 words. Write them down and now see if you can find connections between them. This might be objective similarities or a creative story that ties different words together. There’s no wrong or right here, the goal is simply to build connections.
5. Three-Minute Journal: Turn to a new, blank page, or open a new document on your computer. With 3 minutes on the clock, start a new journal entry with the words ‘Dear Diary’ and get to writing. You might want to recount your day or channel your current feelings in this moment. What you end up writing down might just surprise you.
6. Write a Review: Think of the last book, show, or movie you consumed. Give it a rating out of 5 and write a paragraph summing up your opinions. Try to be as specific as possible and don’t hold back, particularly on the things that you loved and the elements you hated.
7. Rewrite a Classic: Take a well-known fairy tale, myth, or folktale and give it a modern twist. Reimagine the story with contemporary settings, characters, or themes, putting your own creative spin on the familiar tale.
8. Recipe Book: Do you love to cook or bake? Without looking up a recipe, try to write the step-by-step guide to making one of your go-to dishes. After creating the recipe, write a short paragraph on why you chose that specific meal or baked goods and what it means to you today.
9. Telephone: Choose two characters, these might be from your novel or historical/well-known figures you know a little detail about. In your mind, imagine a scenario where they might be on the phone to each other and what they would say. Try and write down their dialogue as it comes to you.
10. Character Monologues: Choose a character from your current project or create a new one. Write a monologue from their perspective, exploring their thoughts, emotions, and motivations. You might want to think about their goals and challenges, and what they would want to say if the whole World was listening.

There’s a clear theme running throughout all 10 of these writing exercises: take away the pressure. Writing under the expectation of perfection is impossible, and more than that, it simply isn’t fun! To access your creative flow, it’s going to be necessary to feel comfortable and happy in the writing seat. You’re going to make mistakes and dislike certain parts of your work…that’s what the backspace is for.

These 10 exercises are designed to stimulate creativity, improve writing skills, and challenge you to think outside the box. Think of them like warm-ups before a long workout – the actions themselves might feel a little silly and redundant, but without them, you risk injury and setbacks.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to access your creative flow and beat Blank Page Paralysis, you can reach out to me directly here or input your email into the mailing list below.

Good luck writing!