How to Write When You Don’t Know What to Write About

So you’ve decided you want to write. Great. You sit down, open a notebook or laptop, stare at the blank page and suddenly your brain is emptier than a fridge at midnight. Don’t panic. This happens to literally everyone. Even professional authors with publishing contracts spend an unhealthy amount of time glaring at blank screens. The difference is they’ve learned a few tricks to get moving anyway.

Here’s how you can too:

1. Lower the Bar (Seriously, Lower It)

Stop trying to write the next great novel on day one. If you’re frozen, it’s because your brain is busy auditioning to be Shakespeare when it should be scribbling like a bored teenager in math class. Write badly. Write nonsense. Write “I have no idea what I’m doing” fifty times if you have to. Momentum matters more than quality right now.

2. Steal a Prompt

When you don’t know what to write, borrow an idea. Prompts are not cheating, they’re scaffolding. Try things like:

“Describe the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten.”
“Write about a character who just found a locked box in their attic.”
“What’s the first memory you can remember, in as much detail as possible?”

Pick one and go. You’ll surprise yourself.

3. Write About Your Day (But with a Twist)

Journaling gets a bad rap, but it’s the easiest way to bypass the blank-page freeze. If “Dear Diary” makes you cringe, reframe it:

Write your day as a news headline.
Rewrite your commute as if it were an epic quest.
Describe your breakfast like a food critic.

Suddenly, the mundane isn’t so boring.

4. Copy Something (Then Change It)

Find a paragraph from a book you love. Copy it out by hand. Then change the details, swap the setting, switch the characters, or flip the mood. Copying gives you a structure, and tweaking it gets your creativity flowing.

5. Set a Timer and Spill Words

Give yourself 10 minutes. No backspacing, no editing. Just write. Pretend your keyboard will explode if you stop typing. You’ll be shocked at what tumbles out when your inner critic doesn’t have time to whine.

6. Keep a “Catch-All” Notebook

Ideas never show up when you’re sitting at a desk. They show up in the shower, on the bus, or when you’re trying to sleep. Carry a notebook or use your phone notes app to jot down fragments, random sentences, overheard conversations, a weird dream. That way, when you face the blank page, you’ve already got raw material.

7. Accept That It’s Awkward at First

Nobody feels confident in the beginning. Writing is like exercise: the first attempts are clumsy, awkward, and make you question your life choices. But the more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

Final Word

You don’t need a brilliant idea to start writing, you need to start writing to find your brilliant ideas. The page doesn’t care if you ramble, experiment, or write complete garbage. The important thing is to break the seal and get words flowing.

So grab a pen, lower your expectations, and start. Future you will thank present you for getting over the blank-page jitters.