By Kate White

Like many authors, I dreamed of writing a novel from the time I was really young. In my late twenties I finally carved out a part of each weekend to work on one, and I’m proud to say I eventually became a published suspense author. My first mystery spent weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

But here’s the twist to that story: over twenty years came and went between the moment I committed to putting words on paper and the day I was finally published. No, I didn’t spend decades revising a single book, and I don’t have a drawer stuffed with unpublished manuscripts. 

Decades passed because it took me that long to write a novel. 

So how did I finally kick my writer’s block and procrastination issues to the curb? I discovered a handful of smart, practical strategies and kept using them in the years that followed. Today, I’m the author of twenty mysteries and psychological thrillers.

Here’s what worked for me, along with techniques other bestselling authors rely on when the words don’t come. If you’re currently stuck, I promise these will help.

Get Your Writer’s Room Right

Ideally a writer has a room of her own or at the very least, a dedicated space. But how well does your space serve your work? Is it too cluttered, too sparse, too noisy, or not noisy enough (some writers thrive on a low hum of distraction)? 

Experiment. When I first set out to write a novel, I bought an important-looking rolltop desk, but it wasn’t until years later that I realized that the desk made me feel too constrained. What I really need in order to be productive is a wide, open surface where I can spread out. 

But Don’t be Afraid to Switch It Up

Even if your set-up works, it might not work forever. Author Harlen Coben (Nobody’s Fool) once told me that he moves to a new workspace when he senses the current one has lost its magic. For years he wrote in places like coffee shops and even at the deli counter of a local grocery store. But when he was having trouble finishing The Stranger, he happened to take his work with him during an Uber ride into New York City and suddenly he was making progress again. Over the next few weeks he took Ubers everywhere and finished the book in the back seats. 

Respect Your Circadian Rhythm

Your internal clock determines when you’re naturally at your creative peak so don’t fight it. I’ve always been a night owl but when I made another serious attempt at novel writing, I experimented and realized that I do my best work early in the morning. I started getting up way ahead of my kids on weekends and writing sometimes before the sun rose. It was pure misery at first, but eventually I grew to love this routine—as well the output it helped to create.

Nail Your One-Sentence Premise

In his indispensable guide for writers, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, story consultant John Truby stresses the importance of capturing the spine of your story premise in a single sentence—one that combines the protagonist, the opponent, the key conflict, and the protagonist’s ultimate goal. I’ve learned over the years that when you nail that one-sentence premise, it becomes harder to lose your way. It’s kind of like your North Star. 

Consider the one-sentence premise Truby offers for The Godfather: “The youngest son of a Mafia family takes revenge on the men who shot his father and becomes the new Godfather.” I mean, heck, from there the book almost writes itself.

Do Deep Work

Thank you, author J.T. Ellison (Last Seen), for introducing me to this concept, which was popularized by Cal Newport in his influential book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Newport defines deep work as sustained, distraction-free concentration on cognitively demanding tasks—meaning you work in chunks of time with no access to your phone, email, or anything online. 

But, you might ask, if the words aren’t coming, won’t a total lack of stimulation make it worse? No! Because deep work is a gateway to flow, to being “in the zone,” where creative performance is maximized. The deeper the work, the more easily your brain can make those amazing connections that are the hallmark of creative thought. 

Give Yourself Permission to Suck

That’s the bracing advice of Tiffany Yates Martin, novelist, editor, and highly regarded writing instructor (The Intuitive Author). Just get something, anything, on the page, she advises, and accept that “messy is part of the process.” Perfectionism, she points out, is often writer’s block in disguise. If you demand brilliance in the first draft, you’ll freeze. But once the messy draft exists, you have material to shape. You can switch hats, become your own editor, and impose order on the chaos.

Fill the Well

Over time, I’ve realized that I sometimes get stuck because I haven’t researched an aspect of the story thoroughly enough. I’ll stop writing for a day or two and start exploring again, either online or by interviewing people like cops, lawyers, forensic experts, and even people who have the same job I’ve given to my main character. I’ve actually had some amazing plot twists come from talking to an expert, including one recently from a soil expert who I interviewed for my 2027 book.

And consider this great tip from author Joe Finder (The Oligarch’s Daughter). “If I’m stalled when I’m writing,” he says, “I sometimes re-interview a good source and that helps me get the voice in my head.”

Get in Touch with Your Emotions

Author Wendy Walker (Blade) says she sometimes starts a book with a very spare premise—something as simple as “wealthy suburb”—and then builds from there. If she runs into trouble finding her way into the story, she taps into a feeling she might have experienced in a similar setting/situation and the emotional impact it had on her. “It can be anything,” she says. “A loss of love, a work crisis, a friend crisis—and then I try to think of a plot where those feelings or events would come about.”

Switch to a Different Part of the Process

When author Lou Berney (Crooks) feels blocked, he doesn’t push harder—he shifts gears. “If I’m stuck drafting,” he says, “I’ll spend some time brainstorming and taking notes. If I’m stuck outlining, I’ll draft a scene or two to get back in the flow. It also helps me to switch literal tools when I switch process stages—from laptop to pen and notebook, for example.”

Start Each Day by Editing What You Wrote the Day Before

Author C.J. Box (The Crossroads) says that this strategy has helped him prevent writer’s block from ever happening. “For some reason the editing launches me into fresh words,” he says. “Also, I’m an outliner. I generally know what’s coming next, and I can “push the book forward” even on days when I don’t exactly feel like writing—for example, on days where the trout are rising on the river.” (I heard him talk about this once at a conference and this strategy has made a huge difference for me in terms of daily productivity.)

Give Yourself Grace

“Sometimes,” says author Wanda Morris (What You Leave Behind), “you’re just not in the right headspace to write. So be gentle with yourself.” She suggests stepping away for a while and channeling your creativity elsewhere. Cook. Knit. Rearrange a room. Or just read a book by an author you admire.

Walk the Darn Dog

For author Heather Gudenkauf (The Perfect Hosts) the antidote to a sticky plot problem—or full-blown writing panic—is movement. “I get up from my desk, grab Lolo’s leash, and get outside for a walk. Or I’ll go out for a bike ride or swim laps. There’s something about removing myself from the spot where I typically create and taking myself to a more fluid creative space that spurs new ideas.”

When You’re Really Stuck, Let Your Subconscious Do the Work 

That’s the advice of author Andrea Bartz (The Last Ferry Out). “If I’m stuck on a plot problem, I write out the question in a notebook right before bed. Then when I wake up, I grab a pen and start writing. My subconscious has often worked on it as I slept and the next morning I find I’m much closer to having the answer.” (I love this tip so much I adopted it myself.)

And If You’re Not Just Feeling Blocked (i.e., You’re a Hopeless Procrastinator), Try This

When I decided—after nearly two decades—to make another stab at producing a novel, I used a trick I learned from a book called The ABCs of Time Management by Edwin Bliss. Bliss argues that we often avoid important tasks not because we lack desire, but because we make them feel too overwhelming. His solution was a strategy called “slice the salami”—in other words, break down a project into the smallest pieces you think you can handle. 

So that’s what I did. I committed to writing only fifteen minutes a day, a time period small enough that I wouldn’t avoid it. In time fifteen minutes became thirty, thirty became an hour, an hour became two and so on.  

Last year two different women reached out to tell me they’d finished their books after hearing me share the “slice the salami” trick. It’s so ridiculously simple but it works. I have twenty books to prove it.