Navigating Confusion: How to Overcome Writer’s Block

To be a writer is to be confused most of the time. Writing a book can be particularly daunting, even for seasoned writers. Many of my book coaching and ghostwriting clients are writers themselves. They’re people who have successfully written movies and built huge social media followings with their articles, yet they struggled for decades with writing a book. This is because the book-writing process is inherently overwhelming due to the myriad decisions involved at every step. 

There is, however, a way to navigate this confusion and create clarity. Over the years, I’ve developed a 4-Phase No-Block process that eliminates writer’s block, creates clarity, and builds momentum. This is the very process I’ve used to write books for my clients and for myself. It’s also the process that I use with my book-coaching clients. 

If you’re struggling to finish your manuscript, take this process for a spin. When used right, it’s very effective. Enjoy! 

Here's how.

Phase 1: Extract

Writing is confusing because there are countless decisions to make. Where do you start your book? What is your book even about? What is the arc you're taking the reader on? These decisions are overwhelming — understandably so!  This is why you CANNOT start your writing process by asking these questions. Instead, you have to lock up your internal editor inside a closet somewhere. Then come to your computer or notebook and vomit all your words onto the page — without judgment, without editing. 

The counterpoint to confusion is clarity. To create clarity, you need to simply dump everything you want to say into a document that is organized but not as a book. Every title idea, theme, storyline, research piece, quote, and story goes into this document. This is your brain dump. 

Think of a painter needing paint or a sculptor needing clay. A writer needs words. Your only job during the extraction phase is to generate words. Just dump these words onto the page. Don’t worry about grammar, cohesion, or making sense. Just write.

By the end of this phase, you’ll have a massive document full of your ideas. This document is GOLD!

As you create your brain dump document, you’ll gain clarity about your methodology and philosophy. You’ll also build momentum. New ideas will flow to you. You’ll remember stories and tools. You’ll start digging up all the amazing things you’ve wanted to share with your audience. This momentum will help you discover your true message and purpose. 

Often, my clients discover that they don’t have one book in them, but several. Part of what’s made them feel so overwhelmed over the years was that they were trying to jam too much into one book! 

This is a great place to be. Now you can pick the one book with the most fuel and relevance and move to phase 2 with it.

Phase 2: Envision

Once you identify your book, you can move into envisioning what your book will look like. What do you want the impact of your book to be? How do you want readers to receive it? What transformation do you want them to go through? Start with the end in mind, and it becomes much easier to create your outline. Your vision will guide you. It’ll show you exactly how to break up your book, what you need to share in each chapter, and what the journey is that you’re taking your readers on. This step is crucial as it sets the foundation for your book’s structure.

Once you have your general outline, you can go back to the massive document you created in Phase 1 and start distributing the stories and information into your outline. Every chapter is pre-filled with notes and ideas from your extraction phase. 

Phase 3: Execute

With the heavy lifting done in Phases 1 and 2, the actual writing of the book becomes a breeze! You could say that the book, at this point, writes itself. This is because when you go to write your chapters, you’re not staring at a blank page wondering where to start. There are literally pages of notes populating each chapter. All you have to do is organize and refine these notes into cohesive chapters. This makes the writing process fast and easy. Many of my clients write one or two chapters a week and complete their book within a few months.

Phase 4: Edit

Once your first draft is done, you can let the editor out of the basement. Now you’ve entered the editing phase. It’s time to polish your work. The editing process is about refining your manuscript and making it as cohesive and easy to read as you can. I’ll share about the many stages of editing and some tips on how to find the right editors in a separate post. 

Achieve More Than Just a Book

This 4-phase process not only helps in writing your next book but also brings clarity to other areas of your life. Many of my clients revise their website copy, keynote talks, and other materials because they gain a deeper understanding of their message during the extraction phase. Often, we discover multiple books within one idea, leading to a more comprehensive body of work.

Take Action Today

If you’re struggling with writing your book, take these steps to create clarity and eliminate confusion. Embrace the chaos, silence your inner critic, and follow my process. Remember, the goal is to generate words and organize them into a cohesive structure.

For more personalized guidance, feel free to reach out. You can book a time on my calendar at meetwithellie.com. Share this with someone who needs it, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Writing a book doesn’t have to be an insurmountable challenge. With the right approach, you can turn confusion into clarity and create a powerful, impactful book. Happy writing!