I started using a simple three-word rule to get past writer's block

I was stuck on a short story for two weeks, unable to write a single new sentence. I read about a trick where you write down three random words and force yourself to use them in the next paragraph. My words were 'clock,' 'amber,' and 'sigh.' It felt silly, but I made a character notice an amber light on a clock and sigh. That one forced paragraph unlocked the next three pages of the story in about twenty minutes. It just gave my brain a tiny puzzle to solve instead of staring at a blank page. Has anyone else found a weirdly simple trick like this that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.susan14d ago

Works for me but I call it a constraint, not a rule.

jakef6614d ago

Calling it a constraint made it easier to stick with for me too.