October 11, 2023

How To Overcome Writer’s Block (Using AI)

Have you ever opened your notebook or document to write, only to find yourself staring at a blank page for hours on end? Many great writers have, and if you haven’t yet, you probably will at some point.

To beat writer’s block, it’s important to first understand what causes it. From there, you can eliminate risk factors while exploring other ways to overcome writer’s block, like using an AI writing assistant (Copy.ai), taking energy-boosting breaks, and limiting distractions.

1. Identify what causes writer’s block

When you know and understand writer’s block triggers, you’ll be able to watch out for (and avoid) them. Some common causes of writer’s block include:

  • Fear of your potential reader’s judgment
  • Worry or anxiety about failing
  • Little to no motivation
  • Excessive self-criticism
  • Low confidence levels
  • Perfectionism
  • Pressure from upcoming deadlines
  • Too many distractions
  • Not having enough ideas to start with
  • Boredom from doing the same types of tasks over and over again
  • Burnout
  • Frustration with your environment
  • Limited knowledge of the topic you’re writing about

2. Eliminate writer’s block with Copy.AI

Whether you’re struggling to write a blog post, a short story, or some social media content, an AI writing tool like Copy.ai can help you move your draft forward quickly. Our tool lets you input specific writing prompts—like your title, description, or tone of voice—which it will then develop into meaningful content that you can tweak based on your preferences.

Say you run a small business and are trying to write a quick blog post. As you settle down to start, writer’s block hits, and you can’t seem to think of anything to write. This is a good time to use your secret weapon: Copy.ai.

Once you log in to your Copy.ai dashboard, choose the “Blog Post Wizard.” This tool generates an article outline once you enter your title, some keywords, and the tone of voice you’re going for.

Write a full blog in under a minute with the Copy.ai Blog Post Wizard

Here’s an example of a blog post outline (with talking points & content) Copy.ai generates for the topic “What is a travel credit card”:

You can easily edit this outline and flesh it out on Copy.ai or expand it into an article on your own—it’s up to you! 

Aside from blog posts, Copy.ai also offers several copywriting tools and custom templates for new and professional writers alike.

3. Take a break and do something non-work related

No one is beyond writer’s block, not even your favorite chart-topping musicians, bestselling authors, or rockstar marketers. If you’re tired of writing, doing something else for a while can help you free up your mind and get inspired. 

Take a break for a few hours or a day to go for a walk, visit a friend, read a book, get in some nap time, or watch a movie. Once you’re done with whatever activity you chose and have taken some time to rest, you can get back to writing feeling refreshed.

Explore working from a coffee shop vs. working at home, or try using a standing desk vs. a sitting one. If you write on the same desk in the same room of your house every day, it becomes repetitive—and inspiration rarely comes from monotony.

4. Create a writing schedule and remove all distractions

When you don’t plan your time, or you allow distractions into your space, it’s hard to concentrate on writing anything. A schedule will help you allot time for writing, taking breaks, and completing any other activities you plan to do. Removing distractions like your phone or pet will increase your chances of actually sticking to the plan you make.

Give your mind the boost it needs to beat writer’s block by curating a daily routine for yourself and safeguarding your writing space from noise and distractions. Use your calendar app to plan your day, tackle procrastination, and avoid missing deadlines that put you under pressure.

Say you’re a freelancer who promotes your services online, has two cats, and works from home. If you assign two hours to write every day, away from your phone and pets, you’ll build a writing habit that keeps you less distracted and more productive. No cat trying to sit on your keyboard or TikTok app alert going off every five minutes. Just peace, quiet, and deep work.

Stick with this writing routine, and writer’s block will soon be one of the has-beens of your life!

5. Keep a private doc to use as a brain dump

If you don’t have a list of ideas and prompts handy, overcoming writer’s block becomes difficult because you have to start your writing process from scratch every time. 

Whenever you get inspiration for any piece of writing, note it down in a designated “brain dump” doc, and leave it there. You can also use a content idea generator to come up with ideas faster and add them to your doc. Soon, you’ll have tons of ideas just waiting for you to develop them when a need arises.

Even if you think an idea is bad or silly, jot it down regardless. Keep the doc private, so you don’t have to worry about anyone stumbling on it and judging your “bad ideas” or creative process. If any of the ideas end up being unusable, they can still serve as inspiration for other, more relevant topics.

6. Switch to a different writing project and come back later

Say you’re working on a big or complicated writing project but can’t seem to keep your creative juices flowing. Depending on the luxury of time you have, consider taking a break from your current piece and switching to a new project or writing exercise for a few hours or even days.

When you come back to the original project that was giving you a hard time, the fresh perspective and motivation from completing another project will help you write more easily.

If you can handle back-to-back context switching, you can also take the approach of alternating between both projects whenever you feel overwhelmed with one of them.

7. Do some (more) research

If you can’t seem to find the right words for your song, book, or article, it may be because you don’t know enough about the topic you’re writing on. Fill this information gap by pausing your writing session to start or continue researching.

A few ways to quickly learn about an unfamiliar topic or industry include:

  • Interviewing subject matter experts and influencers to tap into their wealth of knowledge
  • Reading related books, academic publications, or blog posts that provide how-to guides and quick hacks
  • Listening to a relevant podcast while outlining your first draft
  • Watching an instructive YouTube or demo video if you’re a visual learner
  • Attending a webinar or physical event where the topic will be discussed in detail
  • Taking a crash course to upskill in a timely manner

8. Get an extra pair of eyes on the piece

Sometimes, all you need to combat writer’s block is to ask a friend or colleague to look at it and share their feedback. The new perspective they bring will help you find opportunities to expand your piece, tighten up sentences, eliminate fluff, and add more value for the potential reader or listener.

Say you share your piece with a person who isn’t too familiar with the topic or content type you’re working on; they can still encourage you. They may even find blind spots that you or a fellow expert can easily miss due to the monotony of working in one industry day in and day out.

And if you don’t have anyone around to show your writing to, use your imagination. Envision your best friend sitting beside you and describe out loud what you’re writing and how you got stuck. You can even record your narration and play it back a few times. As simple as it sounds (pun intended), just hearing yourself talk about your struggle could be just what you need to get a new point of view and continue writing. 

Spark your creativity and get rid of writer’s block with Copy.ai!

Imagine this. You’ve put on your adult pants and mustered the drive to start writing. After some brainstorming, you have your title and a rough outline written down, but you just can’t seem to get past the first few sentences. If you’re on a tight deadline, you’ll be even more stressed.

At this point, all your best writing tips may be no match for the pressure you feel for being unable to write—and AI writing assistance is exactly what you need! You don’t need to break your flow of writing to recuperate or seek help from another person. Just use Copy.ai to bring your idea to life quickly at any time of the day. 

Get started with Copy.ai today and say goodbye to writer’s block forever!

Ready to level-up?

Write 10x faster, engage your audience, & never struggle with the blank page again.

Get Started for Free
No credit card required
2,000 free words per month
90+ content types to explore