How you NEVER get Writer's Block again.

End Your Lack of Clarity Forever With This Simple Technique

Jan 13, 2025

I’ve been there before.

You’ve been there too.

Staring at that screen, wondering what to type next.

Or looking at your draft thinking, “Where the **** do I go from here?”

If you’re old-fashioned, then it’s you with your pen in hand, staring at the blank paper page, begging the words to flow forth.

It sucks.

A lot.

But I’ll tell you this: being creatively frustrated in a part of the artistic process, regardless of how long it lasts.

You’re not alone.

Even the greats suffer from it at one point or another.

Most times, we lack fresh ideas because we lack clarity.

We lack clarity because we can’t get our thoughts in order.

And our thoughts are disordered because we’re not thinking properly.

Let me put it like this:

There’s no such thing as “writers block”, as long as you can think, then you can write. Even more, as long as you can speak, smell, see, hear, or feel, then you will always have something to write about.

You don’t have a “block”, you’re just thinking lazily.

But no worries, it happens to all of us.

Thinking is hard.

Thinking the right way? Much harder.

So in this post, I’m going to share a simple technique I learnt from one of my lecturers, back in the university.

It helps you ensure that you’re always thinking in the right direction when you’re writing or creating or even having conversations.

How?

By making sure you’re asking the right questions.

Hear this out:

More questions = More answers.
More answers = More ideas.
More ideas = More writing.

It’s an unwritten law of creativity that “the more information available to you, the easier your creating process becomes.”

That might sound counterintuitive because sometimes less can be more.

But more often than not, it’s better to know “too much”, than to not know enough.

That way, you have the freedom to pick and choose what to use and what to discard.

But note that:

Plenty Information ≠ Right information.

However, when you have the right answers (from the right questions), it’ll be like you’re diving into an endless pool of ideas.

So to say.

“How do I ask the right questions?”

The technique is called The 8 Elements of Reasoning.

Facts, Purpose, Question, Concepts, Conclusions, Point-of-View, Assumptions and Consequences

You can use them to dig deep into any topic and break it down into smaller bits.

They makes it easier for you to understand what you’re dealing with.

I’ll show you how they work in practice.

Let’s say you want to write a fiction story on “Memory Manipulation”.

You have your core idea, but you get stuck creating while the outline or you’re halfway through and you don’t know what to write next.

Here’s how using the 8 Elements of Reasoning will bring you a lot of clarity:

Facts

Question: "What real-world facts or laws can I build on or bend in this story?"

What you do here is to twist the things in reality that are regarded as “truth” or “common knowledge,” for the sake of your narrative.

Real-world rules, laws and perceptions will always be the backbone of a story’s plot, whether they be scientific, cultural, or social.

So, what possibilities could you unlock if you decide to pick just one or two and alter them?

Example: Today in 2025, the practical application of memory manipulation is not publicly in existence, that’s the fact.
But what if you set your story in 2037, when the technology needed to erase or alter memories is now fully accessible to governments and medical organisations?

Purpose

Question: "What is my purpose for telling this story?"

Every good story has a strong "why?"

The solid reason it exists for.

When you understand your “why” for a character, a chapter and even the entire book, it grounds you as you write and gives you direction.

It’s easier to keep your ideas focused when you know the reason they exist.

You won’t just add a plot twist or kill off a character for the sake of doing so.

Example: Your story on Memory Manipulation might want to explore how important our memories, both good and bad are to our personal identity.
Your “why” can be to reveal the price to pay if we were to lose touch with our past.

Question

Question: "What question(s) can I explore in this story?"

This is where you get to stretch your thinking capabilities.

Personally, I like to ask “what if” questions.

I’ll advise you to do the same.

The more of them you ask and the wider the concepts you explore, the more things you will discover about your story.

What if this happens? What if that happens? What if this happens instead of that?

Example: “What if the government erases the memories of all its citizens and only one person is left that remembers their past life?”

Concepts

Question: "What themes/beliefs serve as the foundation of this story?"

Your story needs to be anchored on something.

Something that is relatable and universal.

It could be love, loss, revenge, or redemption. Having one or more themes will add depth to your story.

You can even have themes that seem “contradictory” to one another, such as revenge and redemption.

As long as they work together to strengthen the narrative of your story.

Example: The themes of “search for belonging”, “power” and “identity” can serve as the foundation of the story we’re using as an example.

Conclusions

Question: "What will this story reveal to the reader at the end?"

The best stories give us something to take away from them.

It could be a lesson, a change of perspective, or even us questioning ourselves and the things we believe.

What do you want your reader to understand by the time they reach the last page of your story?

Or better still; how do you want your reader to feel after reading your story?

Once you know the end, what’s left is for you to work your way towards it.

Example: Your story can conclude that both our pleasant and unpleasant memories shape who we are, and without them, we lose our true selves.

Question: "Whose eyes or perspective would best tell this story?"

A story written from the omniscient, third-person view will sound, feel and read differently from a story that’s written from the first-person POV.

You need to pick the best possible perspective to tell your story to your reader.

Who reveals the events of the story to your reader? Who sees things differently? Whose voice would make the narrative more intriguing?

Fortunately, there are no “laws” to creativity, so if you ever get stuck during writing, just switch up the perspective!

In my fiction story, Romantic Homicide, I alternated between the character narrating the story to the reader and him narrating it to a fellow character in the story.

It worked splendidly.

Example: Your story can be told from the perspective of a memory specialist who begins to have flashbacks of their erased past.

Assumptions

Question: "What are the things I’m taking for granted in this story?"

This element is especially helpful when your story feels “predictable” or is going down the “cliché” route.

Assumptions serve as blind spots in your plot; things that are generally regarded as “normal”.

They give you a great chance to add unconventional events and outcomes to your story.

Think of the things you feel your readers will accept without question.

Then ask yourself if there are ways to challenge or question these assumptions.

Example: Your reader might assume that memory manipulation is harmful and that your characters will fight back to keep their memories, but what if people start to willingly erase their past in your story?

Consequences

Question: "If a certain event happens in this story, what are the implications for the world or the characters?"

Every action must have a corresponding reaction.

Every choice made by your characters must affect the plot in reasonable proportion.

Every consequence most feel earned.

Once you start to feel stuck, think of introducing an action or reaction that will move your story forward.

Example: You can set up your story in a way that the erased memories were eventually restored, but an error led to people getting other people’s memories.

Remember:

More questions = More answers.

More answers = More ideas.

More ideas = More writing.

How to create UNLIMITED ideas for your story

You can apply these elements to each other to keep generating new questions that will bring new ideas.

Let’s look at Assumptions, for example. Simply ask:

What fact is connected to the assumptions in this story?
What purpose does this assumption serve?
What question can I ask about this assumption?
What concepts are these assumptions grounded on?
What lessons can we learn from this assumption?
From whose point-of-view do we interpret this assumption?
What am I assuming about this assumption?
What are the consequences of this assumption?

Then you can go on and on like that for the other elements.

This is how you'll create a never-ending loop of fresh perspectives to explore and new ideas to ponder on.

It’s like hitting refresh on your creativity.

Once you master how to apply this technique quickly and properly, you’ll realise that there’s always something to write about.

It’ll also help with breaking down complex topics, content creation, and ideation.

You have a thinking block, not a writing block.

And once you start stimulating your mind with the right questions, thinking properly about what you want to write becomes easier.

No more excuses.
No more blank pages.
No more creative frustration.
No more reason not to create.

Hope this helps!

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Any thoughts? Did you find this helpful? Let me know below!