Hit 500 words on a short story I've been avoiding for 6 months

I've been staring at this blank page for a sci fi piece about a broken mining drone since January. Finally sat down last night after my shift and just typed without stopping, no editing, no worrying about if it sucked. Got to 500 words before my brain gave out, which is more than I've written in months combined. What weird little tricks do you guys use to break past that first wall of writer's block?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie9401mo agoMost Upvoted

Is it weird that I used to think the "just write garbage" advice was total BS? I was always on team "outline everything first" but honestly this post kinda changed my mind. I tried it last weekend with a horror piece I've been stuck on and just forced myself to type any random thought that came to me for 10 minutes straight. Ended up with a whole scene about a character's fear of their own reflection that I never would have planned out. Did you find the no-editing part made it easier to get those 500 words down, or was it more about just having the time to sit there?

piper7791mo ago

The no editing part was the game changer for me, honestly. My inner critic completely shuts off when I know I'm not allowed to fix anything, and that's when the weird, good stuff comes out. It's like your brain finally feels safe enough to throw out the junk ideas that actually lead somewhere cool. You hitting that reflection scene proves it works, that's gold you wouldn't have found outlining. The 500 words thing is just a bonus, the real win is tricking your brain into being creative without panicking. Keep doing that and you'll probably unlock way more hidden scenes in there.

paul_taylor211mo ago

Typed the first scene on a bar napkin between pours. Stupid trick but it worked.