# How to Overcome Writer's Block > Discover how to overcome writer's block by stimulating your mind with simple ambidextrous writing exercises. Enhance creativity and unlock your creative flow naturally and scientifically. Try it now! - URL: https://ambidestro.it/en/how-to-overcome-writers-block/ - Author: Mattia Penna (https://mattiapenna.dev/) - Category: Ambidextrous Exercises - Language: English - Published: 2025-08-03 - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Other languages: [Italiano](https://ambidestro.it/come-superare-il-blocco-dello-scrittore.md), [Español](https://ambidestro.it/es/como-superar-el-bloqueo-del-escritor.md) ## Facing Writer's Block You have a blank page and a pen in front of you. Or maybe you're at the computer, with an open document. You've already written the title at the top, and then... you get stuck. You ask yourself: > ... And now? What do I write??? If you find yourself in this situation — or if you've already started but feel the ideas are no longer flowing — don't worry. There is a practical strategy that can help you **overcome writer's block** effectively. ## Overcoming the block This exercise is a simple way to get unstuck. Building a text out of a handful of words is a classic creative-writing prompt[\[1\]](#fonti "20 Creative Write-Brain Exercises from Bonnie Neubauer's The Write-Brain Workbook"), and switching hands adds a change of pace: it slows you down and breaks the routine you were stuck in. If you are writing on the computer, take a pen and paper. The first step is to **create a list of keywords** related to the topic you want to develop. Write them with **your non-dominant hand**. Don't strive for perfection: follow your instinct and write freely. Once you have written at least five words, switch the pen to the other hand and **start writing a short text** that connects them all. Use **your dominant hand** to develop a coherent, even imaginative, narrative that includes all the words from the list. You can use variations or declensions of the words, but the point is to use them all. This technique will force you to find unexpected links between different concepts, **putting your creativity to work in a structured way** and gradually bringing you into a state that favors fluid writing. #### Eclipse – silence – oracle – threshold – sap – abyss – feather – vertigo *An eclipse* slowly covered the sky, like a thought that darkens without warning. In the tense *silence* of the morning, every sound seemed to hold its breath, as if awaiting a response from an invisible *oracle*. On the edge between what is known and what one dares not name, a *threshold* opened in the mind, fragile and luminous. He felt the *sap* of something wanting to emerge flowing within him, but it had not yet found its form. He looked into the *abyss* of unsaid possibilities, searching in the void for the first word to start with. A *feather* fell from nowhere, like a signal, and brought with it a sweet *vertigo*, the kind you feel when you realize you are ready to truly write. ## The Writer's Secret Does it work because of the hands? Probably not, and I would rather say so. There is no evidence that writing with your non-dominant hand reaches a “creative” part of the brain. What helps is the constraint — a few words you must connect — and the change of pace that gets you writing again. By repeating it regularly, you also gain something real: a bit more dexterity with your non-dominant hand, **an extra step towards ambidexterity**. Did you try the exercise? If you found it useful, share it with someone who might appreciate it! If the page stays blank, change the format: a [letter](https://ambidestro.it/en/how-to-write-a-letter/) has a recipient, and a recipient unblocks more than any amount of advice. Or stop writing for other people altogether and keep a [journal](https://ambidestro.it/en/journaling-and-psychological-benefits/). And when the block won't budge, switch hands: writing with your non-dominant hand forces you to slow down and takes you off autopilot. My book **"How to Become Ambidextrous"** has the exercises to get started. [ ![Cover of the book How to Become Ambidextrous](https://ambidestro.it/uploads/cover_how_to_become_ambidextrous_135ca3f910.webp) ](https://ambidestro.it/go/ambidextrous?l=en) **[Find the book on Amazon and unblock the page with your other hand!](https://ambidestro.it/go/ambidextrous?l=en)** ## Frequently asked questions ### How to overcome writer's block? Try a word exercise: write a list of five or more words related to your topic, then write a short text that uses them all. Writing the list with your non-dominant hand slows you down and breaks the routine. The constraint, not a special part of the brain, is what gets the words moving. ### How to deal with writer's block? Change the format instead of forcing the page. Write a list of words inspired by your topic and build a short text around them, or write a letter to a real person, or a few lines in a journal. A concrete constraint is often easier to start from than a blank page. ### How to get rid of writer's block? Start with a blank page and a list of keywords, written with your non-dominant hand if you like the change of pace, then connect them in a short text. It works as a structured prompt: you stop waiting for inspiration and start writing. ### How to get past writer's block? Lower the stakes. Write random but related words on your theme, then link them in a few sentences without judging the result. Switching hands can help because it forces you to slow down, not because it involves a particular brain hemisphere. ## Sources 1. [20 Creative Write-Brain Exercises from Bonnie Neubauer's The Write-Brain Workbook](https://www.creativity-portal.com/articles/bonnie-neubauer/write-brain/)