Is Blank Page the Real Problem? No, you are!

Okay! So, you’ve got a story brewing inside you. You are wannabe author. Maybe it’s been there for years. Maybe it's fresh. Either way, when you sit down to write, you freeze. You scroll. You snack. You spiral. You convince yourself you’re not ready, not talented, not disciplined enough.

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. In fact, there's a name for this mental traffic jam: creative paralysis. Or, in more clinical terms, writer’s block. But honestly, I think it goes deeper. For many aspiring (and even published) authors, it’s not just about writing, it’s about permission.

 
You're Waiting for Permission That’ll Never Come. You’re subconsciously waiting for someone to say:

“Yes, your story is valid.”
“You have what it takes.”
“This is worth sharing.”

But that someone has to be YOU.

Most of us weren’t raised to think of our voice as something the world needed. We were told to follow instructions, color inside the lines, write five-paragraph essays with topic sentences. Suddenly, you're supposed to pour your soul into a novel? Of course your brain freaks out.

What This State of Mind Really Is

It’s fear disguised as perfectionism.

It’s shame wearing the mask of procrastination.

It’s the brain’s way of protecting you from rejection, by making sure you never finish anything worth rejecting.

Not writing is its own form of slow rejection, of yourself.

So, How the Hell Do You Get Past It?

Glad you asked. Here’s what’s helped me and countless other writers push through the fog

1. Write Badly. On Purpose.

Tell yourself: “I’m not writing a novel. I’m writing a mess.”
Aim low. Lower. No, even lower. That’s where the good stuff starts. Great writing is often bad writing edited well.

2. Give Yourself a Tiny Deadline

Don’t say, “I’ll write for two hours.” Say, “I’ll write one sentence.” That’s it. Trick your brain. Once you start, momentum might surprise you. If not? You still win. One sentence more than yesterday.

3. Talk, Don’t Type

Try voice-noting your thoughts as if you’re telling a friend about your book. Often, we can say what we can’t write. Transcribe it later if you want. Or don’t. Either way, you’re unblocking something.

4. Separate Writing From Publishing

This one’s big. When you write and edit with the imaginary voice of a critic, you're doomed. First drafts are private. Sacred. No one gets to see them. Write as if no one’s watching—because no one is.

5. Call It What It Is

You're not lazy. You're not untalented. You're afraid, and that's okay. Fear is boring. Fear says the same things on repeat. You don’t have to argue with it—just nod, and write anyway.

Final Truth Bomb

You don't “become” a writer after you've written something amazing.
You become a writer the moment you keep going despite the resistance.
Every day you show up, even for five messy minutes, you’re doing the hard part.

The blank page isn’t your enemy. Your expectations are.

Let them go. Write anyway.