Getting stuck when you're writing is one of the most frustrating roadblocks you can meet. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to you—you know where you want to go and what characters should do, but you just can't crack a scene for some reason.
We went digging for some tips and found them with writer Hannah Lee Kidder, who has shared some practical advice that goes against most conventions.
Her tips are about working with your brain instead of against it. They remind us to stop trying to be perfect on the first pass and give ourselves permission to write badly so we can actually finish something.
Check out Kidder's video here.
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Change Your Character's Name Temporarily
If you're struggling with a character you either love too much or hate too much, try swapping their name with someone real.
Kidder uses her friend Sam's name when she needs to write a character more fairly, since it helps her imagine better traits for them. The opposite works too—use a name that annoys you to add flaws to an overly perfect character. Just remember to find-and-replace before you submit.
Creating believable characters involves giving them emotional depth and complexity, which gets harder when you're too close to see them clearly. Get some distance and ground them in reality for a new perspective.
Cut the Last Thing You Wrote
This one might be painful to hear, but see how it works for you. If you've written a ton and gotten on a roll, great... but is it all helping your project?
Most writers don't know when to stop talking. Kidder's advice is to look at the last line or scene you wrote and ask if cutting it makes the piece stronger. It might. Maybe your last bit of pithy dialogue is too corny. Maybe the button to a scene isn't needed. Maybe you can cut the action sooner.
When editor John Matthew Fox worked on 51 manuscripts in one year, he found writers consistently didn't see their real problems. The issues they obsessed over were fine. The actual weaknesses were things they'd overlooked entirely, and that might include knowing when to end a scene.
Stop Writing While You Still Have Ideas
This one feels wrong, but it works. When you hit your word count goal for the day and you're still buzzing with ideas, stop anyway. Write a quick bullet-point summary of what happens next, then walk away.
Starting your next session with a clear roadmap beats staring at a blank page, trying to remember where you were going.
Finishing drafts matters more than perfect writing sessions, and having a starting point for tomorrow helps you actually finish.
HerCredit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Print Your Script for Proofreading
Seeing your words on paper makes typos jump out in ways they don't on screen. If printing isn't an option, export as a PDF or change your font to Comic Sans.
The goal is to trick your brain into seeing the words fresh. Even small formatting changes help you spot problems you've read past a dozen times.
Keep One-Sentence Scene Summaries
As you write each scene, jot down a single sentence describing what happens. This creates an outline as you go, giving you an overhead view of your whole project without the pressure of outlining upfront. It's especially useful for longer works where you forget what happened 30 scenes ago.
You can do this in-program if you're working on Final Draft, which has index cards and a beat board built in. You can click and drag these scenes around if you want to reorder them.
Maintain an Idea List
Keep a running list of topics you might want to write about, and revisit it regularly. Your subconscious works on ideas in the background, so by the time you finish your current project, you've already been passively outlining the next one.
Kidder does this for short stories, blog posts, and video ideas. It's like keeping a project in every stage of development, ensuring you always have something ready to work on.
Paul Thomas Anderson suggests spending time imagining every day, looking for stories in art and life. This list could help capture those moments.
Track Problems Instead of Fixing Them Immediately
When you notice a plot hole or weak character arc while drafting, don't stop to fix it. Add it to a problems list and keep writing. Your brain will work on solutions while you're focused on finishing the draft. Kidder finds she often solves these issues before she even dedicates time to them.
But if you've lost momentum completely, go back and find where you went wrong. The point is, you don't want to get caught up polishing one scene that's stopping you from meeting the finish line. Most problems can wait until revision.
ShortcomingsCredit: Sony Pictures Classics
Use Placeholders When You Get Stuck
When a description or conversation isn't flowing, skip it. Write the roughest possible version or just note what needs to happen in that spot. Kidder describes this as either "rusty crusty description" or summaries like "Character A has some kind of interaction that makes them empathize with Character B."
We've covered this as a psychological trick to help writers. Don't let yourself idle on a spot. Just write a slugline then move on until you find a moment that sparks you.
Don't write placeholders like "insert description here." Write what actually needs to happen, just without trying to make it pretty. Come back and flesh it out later.
Christopher Nolan's advice about screenplays being chain reactions applies here, too. Focus on making sure the right things happen, even if they're not polished yet.
Swap Scenes with a Writing Partner
If you're stuck on a scene or concept, have a trusted writing partner write their version of it. You probably won't keep what they write, but it gives you a fresh perspective on your own story.
Kidder once had a friend write a scene for a character processing trauma, which helped her understand the emotional arc she'd been struggling with. An outside view can break you out of your assumptions.
Write Characters Through Your Own Experiences
When you can't get into a character's head, write them going through something you're currently experiencing. Kidder was planning a tattoo sleeve (a big, expensive, permanent decision), so she wrote her character thinking about getting a tattoo sleeve. Simple and easy, and great as a writing exercise.
The scene connected because it was grounded in real emotion. You might delete it later, but it gives you an entry point into who that character is. The best characters come from writers putting a little of themselves into every role, not autobiographically but emotionally.
