Six Hacks to Help You Flow as You Write
Comedian Steve Martin continues to amuse me on the television show, “Only Murders in the Building.” While he’s been a film and TV star for decades now, few know he wanted to write early in his career. Unfortunately, it never panned out. My favorite statement he made about it was hilarious: “I handed in my manuscript to the editor last month, and he didn’t change one word on it. The word he didn’t change was on page 78.”
Evidently, even the best of us fumble and fail. But what if you feel overwhelmed and can’t even begin writing? People often feel stuck before they start. The most common reason aspiring authors don’t write is procrastination. If this sounds familiar, I have some good news for you. Before I share some writing hacks—I’d love to invite you to an elite year-long coaching experience with best-selling authors, publishers, editors and ghostwriters to help you finish your book well. It's called “A Book In A Weekend,” and it starts with a lovely weekend in Atlanta with a limited group of people like you. Our team equips you to write a winning book proposal and then present it at a Shark Tank of publishers. At least one person will get a book deal. You’ll hear from John Maxwell, Valerie Burton, Don Yaeger, Becky Nesbitt, Mark Cole and others who will nudge you to the front of the line with publishers. Following that weekend, we meet monthly on Zoom to coach you for a year until your book is done. It launches February 27-March 1, 2026. To inquire, see: ABookInAWeekend.com.
This year, I finished writing my 40th book. I just turned in my manuscript, The Future Begins with Z: Nine Strategies for Leading Generation Z As They Upset the Workplace. I got writer’s block. Below are six ideas I use when I get stuck in my writing process.
1️⃣ Read something good first.
Read and reflect before you write. Take time to think before you do anything. If I feel stuck, I read a good author who is brilliant at their craft. It inspires me. Often during the process, I read things totally unrelated to what I’m writing. I’m amazed at the totally unexpected connections or discoveries I make. Make a deposit before a withdrawal from your brain.
2️⃣ Write down your key outcome and display it.
One move that helps me get back into my flow is to focus on my goal for the book. What am I trying to accomplish? For my Gen Z book, I wrote it on a card: “I will equip readers to bring out the best in Gen Z teammates at work. They will understand, connect with and lead their young staff well.” Reviewing my purpose for the book stirs me again to keep going.
3️⃣ Trick your brain.
Sometimes writing a book can feel like an insurmountable goal. Our brains can get flooded. To overcome this obstacle, tell yourself you’re just going to “jot,” not write. I frequently trick my brain into action by grabbing my tablet and jotting just one thought down. One sentence becomes two, then three and before I know it, I am in the flow.
4️⃣ Call someone smart and talk about your topic.
This always ignites ideas and creativity. When I call my smart friends to talk over my book ideas, they always help me escape my writer’s block. Try it. By the time you put your phone down, you’ll have plenty to write. (As Seth Godin says, nobody gets “talker’s block.”)
5️⃣ Chunk your writing time.
Break down your goal of finishing a book to bite size chunks. Think in terms of smaller goals you’ll need to reach along the way. Focus on writing or outlining one chapter or simply focus on finishing a page. Just like feeding a toddler, make the bites small enough to digest. We usually jump in on small goals before big ones.
6️⃣ Imagine who you are writing this for.
I write down the imaginary avatar to whom I am writing. For my book on leading Gen Z, I wrote and placed a card on my wall in front of my laptop: “I’m writing to a manager who is over 45 years old and is frustrated with young staff and has pondered letting them go.” Each time I looked at that card, I was reinvigorated to help that reader in practical ways.
Novelist Tony Morrison wrote, ❝If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. The same is true for any endeavor: if the solution you seek doesn’t exist, create it.❞ I agree.
We’d love to see you at A Book In A Weekend.
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