13 tricks to get some words on the page
Plus: Come write with me in Croatia!!!!! [tosses confetti]
The above image popped up when I searched “blank page,” and it made me lol because it’s so relatable.
“I’m going to type into a Word document! No, I’ll get a notebook. And write by hand. Has anyone seen my favorite notebook? Ah, here we are. I’ll use a lovely pen. Where is that pen?”
[sits briefly, chews lip]
“You know what, I’ll just grab a snack. In case I get hungry. And maybe some tea…?”
It’s the number-one question I get, dressed up in different wording like a naked emperor in supposedly variable clothes:
How do I start writing my novel?
How do I finish my novel?
How do I beat writer’s block?
How do I know if the genre I’ve chosen will still be de rigueur when my book hits the market and should I or shouldn’t I use Scrivener, I’ve heard conflicting things, and what do I do if [gasping breath] someone steals my idea and turns it into a TV show and never gives me credit and…?
Friends, the answer to all of these questions is exactly the same: You sit your cute self down and you write your book. Letters become words become sentences become paragraphs and eventually, incredibly, through the magic of compound interest or something, you write an entire book!
Of course, finding the time to actually put pen to paper isn’t easy, and whether you’re working on your first book or your fifteenth, it’s hard to keep chugging without an author community. That’s why I’m so stoked to be teaching at and participating in the Adriatic Writers Conference on Croatia’s gorgeous island of Lošinj May 24-30, 2026.
Organized by award-winning writer
, the retreat will feature small-group (5-7 participants) craft workshops and—this is so cool—a focus on the practical aspect of building a writing career. There’ll be panels on author marketing and publicity, the business of publishing, how to frame a premise and pitch, and more—led by award-winning and bestselling authors, including , , and . Lidija just shared a post with more details about the conference:
Check out adriaticwritersconference2025.com and let me know if you have questions or would like to speak to a past participant about their experience! I think of experiences like this as investments in my own writing—the same way I prepay for $$ reformer pilates classes to ensure I’ll freaking go.
Retreats are a beautiful way to hone your craft and carve out time to write, but hey, 99.3% of the published population finished their books without one (probably). So here are 13 more tips for doing the damn thing instead of wistfully noting that you wish you could or want to or will someday.
Let it be bad. Louder for the people in the back: Let the first draft be bad!!! Major swaths of my first drafts are so hilariously awful, y’all. You can’t edit a blank page.
Try the Pomodoro Method! Set a timer for 20 minutes and do nothing but write until you hear the beep—don’t unload the dishwasher, don’t look at Substack, just write. Even if what you write is God-awful, or even if it means opening up a second document and screaming into it (“I DON’T WANT TO BE WRITING TODAY I DON’T KNOW HOW TO END THIS SCENE I HATE THIS DON’T MAKE ME”)—that still counts as writing! Then you set another timer for a 5- or 10-minute break, and after it, you dive into the next productive period. I can accomplish more in two or three Pomodoro “writing sprints” than an entire afternoon of dicking around on my computer. Sorcery.
Put your phone in another room while you write. (No, you don’t need it for the timer app! Try tomato-timer.com.)
Wake up twenty minutes early for a week and write first thing, while the house is quiet and you’re still a bit groggy. It will be weird and dreamy but neuroscience shows we’re actually really creative when we’re crusty-eyed, pre-caffeine. Maybe you’ll love it and keep doing it! (I don’t and won’t, but maybe you will.)
Find an accountability buddy and swap wordcounts daily or weekly. (Oooh, should we do a Great Accountability Buddy match-up thread?)
No seriously, put your phone in another room.
Because otherwise you’re going to look at it instead of writing, that’s why.
Fine, if you must have your phone out: Write a few sentences instead of scrolling Instagram while you’re waiting to pick up your kids or waiting for the pot to boil or whatever. Make a shortcut from your lockscreen that takes you to a Note or Google Doc wherein you either type a few fresh sentences or tap the microphone and dictate a paragraph. This is a real thing! Entire novels have been written in stolen moments on smartphones!
Schedule writing time on your calendar and treat it with the same seriousness you would a work meeting or doctor’s appointment.
Have a write-in with another writer friend. No chatting until you’ve both hit your wordcount goals.
Libraries are excellent places to host your own brief, solo, serial writing retreats! Does your local branch have shared or individual study rooms? Man, libraries are dreamy. <3<3<3
Some writers reward themselves with treats, like a fun-size Snickers for every 250 words written. We are all essentially dogs at heart.
You’re looking at your phone instead of writing right now, aren’t you.
So many good tips here! I find it endlessly fascinating that the thing I love doing most in the world also feels the most daunting to start.
Sometimes I turn off WiFi and just write so I’m not tempted to derail creativity by googling things to make sure they’re accurate.
Like did this certain nightclub exist when my book is set? What was that club’s name? Idk it’s so hard to get caught on the details in early stages and then spend hours factchecking when (I’m pretty sure) publishers pay people to do that.
But for first drafts it can typo riddled, it can be inaccurate, a character’s name can change midway through, I just have to remind myself every time :)
And TK is my best friend ❤️