Two nights in a row of not being able to write.

Staring at this scene with no idea what to say.

All day, I have ideas and share insightful nuggets (hopefully), and then when it's time to write, I can't do it. Why is that?

Is it because I write 8am-4:30pm daily? Is it because I'm tired as a dog? Is it because I lost my touch? *not suggesting I ever had one.

It's none of that.

It's simpler than that, yet also more complex to digest. It's an invisible force impeding me from downloading my thoughts as quickly as possible. I'm stuck.

But here I am. Which is tip #1: Write through it.

Figure out a way to write and make progress on whatever you're working on, even if it's a silly essay like this or something important like your book. Eventually, you write enough shit that you get to something digestible. I recommend 45 minutes, as the first 10-15 will be deleted later.

Tip #2 (and a cause for getting stuck if not done) is ensuring your well is filled (see essay on filling your well).

Most of us use too much of ourselves or do not have proper well-filling habits to replenish ourselves, resulting in nothing to give. I'm probably there right now (I've been burning the midnight oil). But when your well is filled, writing comes more naturally as you're in a space to be vulnerable.

I don't know about you, but if I haven't got much sleep and I'm hungry, I am unlikely to be creative and want to write. While those are basic needs, exercising and meditating are essential to go deeper within yourself while writing. And to have the patience to write.

Tip #3 (and the final one, thank God, who asked for tips?) is to write down an outline or key points of what you want to write to lower the friction to writing.

Sometimes, I will outline a more extensive guide I want to create and then know one small piece I can cover. Other times, I outline the article and fill in the blanks to later make it a cohesive piece. This tactic is my least used but comes in handy when struggling to get started.

A bonus tip (tricked ya!) builds off #1: Do 10-15 minutes of free writing every morning or before writing to help get unstuck. I learned about it from Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way, and I've done this for over two years. It is Morning Pages, and they are incredibly effective at helping you remove the resistance and write. If that doesn't work, you're helpless.