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Advice to move past a creative block

Can we all agree it sucks?

David Gane
David Gane
1 min read

If you've ever been under the weight of a creative block and struggled to get through it, then maybe you'll find something in these five links to help you out.


  1. Matt Richtel offers some wonderful thoughts on how to be creative. "People think creativity is inspiration but it’s mainly perspiration."
  2. If that doesn't help out, Maxwell Anderson has a three-step process to cultivate your imagination: "1. Clear your mind. 2. Feed your mind. 3. Free your mind."
  3. Although he talks about digital design, perhaps Tom Kenny's advice on how quantity over quality will help you out. "We’ve always been led to believe 'quality over quantity' is the way to go…but the reality is that the best path to quality, is actually quantity."
  4. It's also probably a good idea to read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield if you haven't already. It is the definitive attack on the creative block. "Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do."
  5. And finally, Michael Wolfe shares the real secret to getting through it: Write no matter what. "The work needs you now, and it will need you later, just as you are. Keep showing up no matter what."

I know creative blocks feel impenetrable, but I promise that you have the ability to overcome them.

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Co-writer of the Shepherd and Wolfe young adult mysteries, the internationally award-winning series, and teacher of storytelling and screenwriting.

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