“This may sound like gibberish to you, 

but I think I’m in a tragedy…” 

–Stranger Than Fiction

In the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction, Harold Crick (played by Will Ferrell) finds himself the subject of a novel that’s in the process of being written. 

When author Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson) rethinks the basics of Harold’s story, she changes her mind about the design of his home—which simultaneously causes a construction demolition team to appear and take apart his apartment. 

WHILE HE’S STILL INSIDE!

Sound terrifying?

All the while, Karen is sitting in her flat, staring at the floor, berating herself over not being able to come up with the next sentence. She doesn’t know how to get her manuscript unstuck.

Not only does Harold act out Karen’s best ideas, he also must live through her writing process—which turns his life upside down.

You know what else can turn a good story upside down? Working on a manuscript that’s stuck.

If you’ve written for any amount of time, you have likely come into contact with brain freeze like Karen.

Have you ever wanted to rip your manuscript apart, throw your computer against the wall, and just start back at the beginning?

Have you spent hours and hours staring at the screen, wondering what to write next?

I know I have—even this year.

The multitude of decisions writers must make can often lead to indecision and feelings of being overwhelmed, which in turn, can lead to the dreaded brain freeze.

But writer’s block isn’t the true tragedy here…

The true tragedy is writers who freeze to death. 

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Fortunately, the Truth is NOT Stranger Than Fiction

Earlier this year, while I was writing the autobiography for the African dictator president, I experienced brain freeze for the first time in probably 20 years. Sometimes I would stare at the keyboard, knowing the clock was ticking, but I just couldn’t get unstuck.

Eventually—thankfully!—I finished the book. Here are some ideas that worked for me and might work for you:

Change Your Environment. Sometimes, a change of scenery can break the monotony. Try writing in a different room, a park, or even a library to stimulate your creativity.

While I prefer writing in silence, sometimes a road trip to Starbucks is all I need. Ingesting a little caffeine, nibbling on a scone (don’t tell my wife!), and lots of background noise is  just what I need to stir those creative juices.

Change Your Form of Writing. If you’re writing in Scrivener, switch to MS Word (that’s what I did for the autobiography). 

Better yet, if you’re writing on your computer, switch to manually writing (I know, your hand is going to get tired—but you’ll get over it!). Studies show that when you move from a keyboard to writing the old fashioned way, you actually begin using a different part of your brain.

Skip the Stuck Part. Sometimes, I let the stuck part of my manuscript stop me cold in my tracks, even though I could just as easily skip it and keep writing. 

If you can jump ahead, then jump ahead, then come back to the stuck part later. Oftentimes, working ahead naturally resolves the problem.

The choice is yours. You can either allow your “frozen” section to delay your manuscript by days, weeks, or even months, or you can skip over it and come back to it later, which always saves you time.

JUST.WRITE. Free form it. I find that my writing flows so much easier after about 20 minutes of writing. So take the first 20 minutes to journal, compose an email, or write a humorous haiku about feeling brain dead.

Reboot Your Brain. I love taking naps. Here’s what I know: sometimes all I need is a short nap to reboot my brain and jump back into my writing.

Pro tip #1: I keep a sleeping mask at my office and one at home. That way I can block out all the light during my nappy time. 

Pro tip #2: When I lay down to sleep, I think about the problem area in my book. I can't tell you how many times my subconscious brain figured out the solution to my problem.

Take a Hike. Sometimes all you need is a little separation from your manuscript. So take a hike, a walk, or visit a zoo to laugh at the hyenas.

Listen to Music That Makes You Happy. Know what I've noticed? Listening to my favorite music from my teenage years tends to thaw the ice and get my creative juices flowing. If everything else fails, doing a jig to Uptown Funk almost always seems to work. Then I’m off and running. 

This works for watching a humorous movie, too. Nothing thaws my brain better than Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

Bueller? Bueller??

Work with a Book Coach. I’m a big fan of coaching. On a regular basis, I meet with a business coach and a marketing coach. You know what’s great about them? They see things that I don’t. By the end of our meetings, my brain is buzzing with ideas.

Not coincidentally, we have three amazing book coaches (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) who can help you get unstuck.

Meet with Mike. You know why? It’s no-obligation and it's FREE. I love brainstorming ideas with random authors I don't know. It keeps me on my toes!!

Click here to schedule a meeting with me we'll we'll explore the possibilities of your book idea.

Let’s bring your book to life!