Why You Want to Write But Can’t — And How to Fix It

Can you recall the first time you felt the desire to write?

That moment when something stirred inside you, compelling you to open a blank document on your computer and start conjuring a new world from nothing but imagination. That thrill of a fresh beginning. That rush of creativity, and the curiosity about what might emerge.

I can’t recall the exact moment I caught the bug, but I know it began the day I discovered fantasy. Every time I finished a book I loved, I was swept away by the limitless potential of this world—the otherworldly creatures, the strange lands and the magic one could conjure with a word—and I wanted to create my own stories and characters in that magical world.

But the excitement that had led me to the keyboard would evaporate fast.

Sometimes it faded after a chapter of two—once the opening scene I’d envisioned was on the page, and I had no idea what came next. Other times, it vanished even earlier, as I stared at the blank white screen—so full of possibility, yet at the same time, so paralyzing.

And it only got worse the deeper I went into the story—when subplots started to pile up and I realized just how much I had to untangle to finish the story.

I know I’m not alone in this. I think of it as the writing paradox: we want to write—desperately.

But when it’s time to actually sit down and do it, we have to force ourselves. We need to build the consistency muscle. We need to make time.

So why is it so hard? Why do we struggle to do something we actually want to do?

Well, wonder no more—because I have some explanations for you. And better yet, some ideas for how to tackle each challenge.

When Inspiration Meets Reality

For me, the initial drive to write a new story usually started with an image— a vivid scene I held in my mind, usually the beginning, or a major event somewhere down the line.

You might know the feeling: maybe you have a clear opening scene, a dramatic turning point, or just a quirky idea—like a dragon who wants to be an accountant—but beyond that, you have no idea what happens next.

This is where the creative spark, which feels light and ethereal, comes face to face with the not-so-light questions that pull it back down to the ground.

Having an idea is easy. But planning a whole story is hard. And while you can write a single scene on a whim, trying to write an entire novel without any planning is a different beast entirely. Eventually, you’ll hit a point where you need to stop, think, and map things out—or risk getting stuck.

If this is the stage where you often lose momentum, the solution is simple: you need to face the project management dragon. Sit down with it, have a chat, and build a plan.

It might not sound like fun, but even a rough outline forces you to start connecting the dots—and those dots are what turn a good idea into a real story, with an arc, direction, and the necessary details to keep the plot going.

My advice is to start at a high level and drill down layer by layer. First, create a very basic outline, something like:

1. Dragon applies for an accounting job

2. Dragon becomes an accountant

3. Dragon realizes his workplace is toxic and quits

Once you have that rough framework, go deeper. For instance: in step one, does the dragon get accepted easily? Is he rejected because he’s a dragon? How does he respond?

This is where you start laying out the detailed “brickstones” that will eventually carry your story from one major event to the next.

Drowning in "What Ifs"

Another reason many aspiring writers lose their drive is that there are just too many possibilities.

It’s like getting caught in a web of “what if's”, unable to make a choice.

The blank white page often triggers this feeling. You sit down, ready to work, but with every possible word and path at your fingertips, you suddenly have no idea where to start.

If this sounds like you, one trick that can help is keeping an idea archive. This should be a place where you collect all the random ideas that pop into your mind and try to pull you in different directions.

Idea for a romance between an enchanted snowman and a penguin? Idea archive it. Thoughts of a new story involving a mysterious doorknob that hit you while you were trying to focus on your epic fantasy drama? Idea archive.

Anytime a new idea tries to hijack your concentration, don’t fight it—just write it down for later. You don’t have to chase every “what if” that pops up; just just need to capture it for future consideration and move on.

The next step is more challenging: once you’ve captured your wandering thoughts, you need to pick one idea out of that archive and pursue it. But more on that another time.

And if you find yourself distracted by a shiny new idea while you’re pursuing the idea you just picked up? You guessed it—idea archive.

The Gnawing of Doubt

One of the biggest reasons a new story often dies before it’s born is the voice of doubt. An idea flashes through your mind and fills you with excitement—but as soon as you sit down to write, or even after you’ve made some progress, you stop and start to question everything.

Suddenly, your story seems stupid, cliche, or just plain dull. You imagine people reading it and laughing at you.

If that’s the inner demon casting a paralyzing spell on your hands, you should know this: no amount of exorcism is going to make it vanish completely. The doubting demon is always going to be there. Sometimes, it will even raise valid points. But with time, you’ll learn when to listen—and when to ignore it.

Doubt isn’t always the enemy. Blind overconfidence, paired with an unwillingness to accept any criticism, can be just as dangerous to your growth as a writer. The trick is knowing when to let doubt have the microphone.

There are two distinct phases to creating a book:

• Writing it.

• Editing the hell out of it.

Editing is the time to unleash doubt—to scrutinize every scene, character and course of events, and decide what truly works. But not while you’re writing.

When you’re writing, your job isn’t to silence the doubting demon—it’s simply to ask it politely to wait its turn. And yes, you might have to ask it more than once.

The doubting demon’s time to criticize and doubt will come. But right now, it’s your time, and it can wait until you finish writing.

Conclusion

There are plenty more reasons why we want to write but find it nearly impossible—far more than I could fit into one blog post.

But whatever the reason, remember that writing isn’t always going to be easy, even if it’s something you feel deeply drawn to.

You’ll face challenges—but those challenges are also your greatest opportunities to improve. And with time you will.

So choose your weapon, face the obstacle—and write!