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Writing on a Deadline to Conquer Writer's Block
- Jennifer Peaslee
- Sep 16
- 2 min read
Ah, writer's block. Everyone deals with it. I've been struggling with writer's block for months. I have ideas, I can get them started, but my writing is so stiff and unnatural that I've had difficulty pushing forward and finishing anything. It's like my head empties.
I've tried many things to help me push past this, from free writing to prompt generators, searching for either inspiration or a way to write without inspiration. (The latter is an important part of being a writer, I'm told.)
As mentioned last week, I recently attended the online speculative fiction writers' summit Worldshift 2025.
One talk I attended ("How to Use Short Stories to Write Better Novels") was hosted by Mia Botha from Deadlines for Writers. Mia had some pretty great tips, so I decided to check Deadlines.
I loved what I found.
Deadlines for Writers contains writing challenges predicated on a simple idea: deadlines help writers write.
The challenges they offer are:
52 Scenes in 52 Weeks
12 Short Stores in 12 Months
12 Poems in 12 Months
Being a short story writer, I joined the 12 Stories in 12 Months challenge. Each month, you receive a prompt and a word count. You write a story, post it on the deadline day, and comment on four other stories—that way, everyone is getting feedback.
I gotta say, it worked! I got my prompt ("cup and saucer") and word count (1,000 words), and I was off. I wrote a flash fiction story about an antique salesperson who discovers a rare find at a garage sale, but faces an ethical quandary over it.
Days later, I wrote another short story about a young man "coming out" to his parents about dating AI. The floodgates have been released!
So, if you're struggling with your output, I highly recommend checking out Deadlines for Writers. They also have free resources and offer a free workshop once a month. Go check them out!
Writing without a paywall is important to me, but writing is work. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I would be honored if you would consider donating.
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