How to Handle a Story That's Stuck

Without Losing Your Mind or Your Muse

There comes a point in almost every story where you sit back, stare at the screen, and say something like, “I don’t know what happens next.” The characters go quiet. The plot won't move. Your excitement shrinks like a dried out sponge, and you're left with one question: Did I ruin the story, or did it just die on its own?

First of all, if you’re here, it’s not dead. You’re still caring. You’re still showing up. You just need to know how to handle this moment. So let’s talk about it. What it really means when your story gets stuck, and what you can do about it.

Part One: Recognize the Type of Stuck
Not every block is the same. If you know what kind of “stuck” you’re dealing with, it’s easier to fix. Here are the most common types:

1. The Plot Won’t Move Forward

You know where you want to go, but you can’t get your characters there naturally. Every scene feels forced or flat. You’re trying to push the story like a car with no gas.

What it means:

You might’ve taken a wrong turn earlier. There’s a disconnect between what your characters want and what you’re making them do. Something doesn’t fit.

What helps:

Go back two or three scenes. Read them out loud. Look for where the flow felt natural and where it suddenly didn’t. That break? That’s your crack. Fixing it might mean removing a scene or rewriting a conversation, but don’t worry. It’s part of the process.

2. You’re Bored With It

You can’t bring yourself to open the file. You’ve read the same paragraph 20 times. The spark’s gone.

What it means:

Either you’ve outgrown the idea, or you're trying to write a version of the story that doesn't match your voice. Often, you're writing what you think readers want, not what you care about.

What helps:

Ask yourself this: What would make this story exciting for me again? Don’t think about rules. Don’t think about what anyone expects. Imagine the wildest, weirdest, most honest version of your story and chase that.

3. The Emotion Isn’t Landing

You’re writing the scenes, but they feel cold. The big moments fall flat. You can’t feel what your characters are feeling.

What it means:

You’ve slipped into telling instead of living it with them. You’re too far above the scene, not inside it.

What helps:

Go back and write the scene in first person, from your character’s POV. Even if your story isn’t in first person. Let them rant, whisper, cry, lie to themselves. Make it messy. Make it personal. Then go back and revise the real scene with what you discovered.

Part Two: Try One of These “Unstuck” Tactics

If you're not sure what's wrong, or if you're just tired of looking at it the same way, try one of these techniques. They’re not magic. But they do shake loose new angles.

1. Write the Next Scene Out of Order

Sometimes the next “logical” scene is boring because it’s not where the story really wants to go. Jump forward. Write something from later in the story. Even just a paragraph or two. That peek might show you what direction you actually need to head in.

2. Let Your Character Talk to You

Open a new page and ask your character, “Why did you stop moving?” or “What are you afraid of?” Then answer in their voice. It might sound ridiculous, but you’d be surprised how fast the honesty comes pouring out.

3. Clean the Stage

Strip your story down to just the key players and setting. Are you cluttering it with too many side characters? Too much backstory? A subplot that doesn’t belong? Declutter. Make space. See if it breathes better.

4. Change the Lens

Rewrite the scene from another character’s point of view, or retell it as a memory later in the story. Shifting the lens gives you new emotional ground to work with.

5. Ask: What Would Make This Hurt More?

Stuck often happens when we’re playing it too safe. Raise the stakes. Break something. Betray someone. Expose a secret. You don’t need to use the scene forever—but it might be the emotional jolt the story needs.

Part Three: When It’s Okay to Walk Away (And When It’s Not)

Sometimes walking away is the right call. You’re not quitting. You’re letting the story breathe. But know the difference.

It’s okay to walk away when:

You’ve lost interest and feel no emotional connection anymore.

You’re forcing a story you don’t actually care about.

You’ve got a better story idea that’s calling to you hard.

It’s not time to walk away if:

You’re just afraid it’s not “good enough.”

You hit one bad chapter and started spiraling.

You’ve never finished a story before and always stop here.

If it’s the second list just push forward. You don’t need a perfect draft. You just need a finished one. You can fix almost anything on the page. You can’t fix a blank document.

Part Four: Last-Ditch Lifelines (When You’re Really Lost)

If none of the above worked, here are a few final tools that might yank the story out of the mud:

Roll a Random Conflict

Use a prompt generator or pull a card from a storytelling deck. Force something to happen that’s not in your plan. Chaos breeds creativity.

Write the Ending

Skip straight to the very last scene, even if it’s just a sketch. Writing the final image can give you a target to aim for and a reason to move again.

Write What’s Missing, Not What’s Next

Your brain might not want to write the next chapter. But it might be craving a moment you haven’t included; an origin story, a dream, a lost letter, a flashback. Feed it that. You can always fit it in later.

Talk It Out With Someone

Even if it’s just a voice memo to yourself, talking through the story aloud can help untangle the mess. You might surprise yourself by saying the exact thing that fixes it.

One Final Thought

You’re stuck because you care. That matters. The only reason it hurts is because the story matters to you. So trust that. Trust your gut. If the story still tugs at you, no matter how faint, follow it. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to move.

Every great story has a moment where the writer almost gave up. Don’t let this be yours.

Keep going.