Unstuck: A Writer's Guide

by Ramona Ausubel

With the humor of Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, the practicality of Natalie Goldberg’s classic Writing Down the Bones, and the warmth of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page is your creative process’s new best friend.

Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page is about staying in love with your  feeling excited, mischievous, productive, and hopeful—the opposite of being stuck.  

Critically acclaimed, award-winning author and beloved teacher Ramona Ausubel offers 101 exercises that promise to welcome you back to the page again and again; to reinvigorate your process and help you see your writing through to the end. Full of personal stories and hard-earned wisdom of a veteran writer, Unstuck is written in the first person, human to human, writer to writer. Practical, clear, and welcoming, Unstuck offers immediately useable strategies for beginning, continuing, and finishing a piece of writing.  

Organized into doorways and keys, Unstuck turns problems into possibilities, offers keys to put into use right now, all designed to lead the writer back to the art, not toward an outside idea or formula. With Ausubel’s steady, encouraging advice—find your doorway, unlock the lock, and get writing again.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts

288 pages, Hardcover

Published April 14, 2026

About the author

Ramona Ausubel is the author of a new novel, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty (on sale 6/14/2016) as well as No One is Here Except All of Us, winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Fiction, the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and Finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award. Her collection of stories, A Guide to Being Born, was a New York Times’ Notable Book. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, The Paris Review Daily, One Story, Ploughshares, The Oxford American and The Best American Fantasy. She is a faculty member of the low-residency MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[yazzyvb · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so helpful, easy to read and great inspiration and ideas to help you develop and think about when you feel stuck! will deffo be coming back to this book a lot!

[MICHEAL DOANE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unstuck: A Writer's Guide (Ramona Ausubel, 2026) is a craft-oriented writing manual structured around 101 exercises designed to address one of the most persistent problems in creative work: interruption of momentum. Rather than treating writer’s block as a singular obstacle, Ramona Ausubel reframes it as a recurring condition of practice, requiring multiple entry points rather than a single solution.

The book’s structural conceit, “doorways and keys” functions as both metaphor and method. Each exercise is positioned as a re-entry mechanism into the writing process, emphasizing continuity over perfection and iteration over fixed outcome. This design reflects a pedagogical philosophy grounded in accessibility and repetition, allowing writers to re-engage the process at different stages of creative resistance.

Stylistically, the work adopts an intentionally conversational tone, aligning itself with lineage traditions in writing pedagogy that prioritize demystification of craft. The inclusion of personal reflection alongside practical exercises reinforces its orientation toward lived process rather than abstract instruction.

Its strongest contribution lies in its reframing of creative blockage as a structural feature of writing practice rather than a failure state. In doing so, it positions itself as both a motivational and procedural toolkit for sustained creative production.

[Kevin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once read that it is important not to imagine one’s creative energy as a well which you draw from. The reason is that the nature of wells is to run dry. Rather, we should imagine our creativity as an endless ocean—one with low tides and high tides—but always abundant. A similar technique, of seeing stumbling blocks as stepping stones, is one of the central techniques in Ramona Ausubel’s Unstuck. Ausubel instructs us to reframe dead ends (those dreaded blank pages and stalled paragraphs) as provisionally locked doors, portals we can step through once we possess the keys.

I was hoping for actionable advice and Unstuck has that in spades—what I didn’t anticipate was how enjoyable and stimulating I’d find Ausubel’s writing. She is a fine writer who infuses this instructional with humor and heart. I couldn’t help but feel reassured about myself and my creative work after reading this book. In Ausubel’s own words “The universe did not feel inadequate when all it had was an explosion in space from which all life would emerge.” This is less a grandiose statement and more a reminder to move with confidence through (to borrow a phrase) the swampland of primordial slush.

I’ve read dozens of creative writing books over the years and Unstuck has already claimed a place among my favorites.

[S.K. O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book felt like sitting in a cozy, whimsical writing workshop hosted by Ramona Ausubel. The book is packed with inspiration and creative energy, and it did a fantastic job of getting my mind moving and my own creative ideas flowing. I really enjoyed getting to know her through her personal experiences and the stories of her fellow writer friends, and the user-friendly structure makes it a book I can see myself referring back to whenever I need a spark.

A few things I had a hard time with were, at times, the prose became so whimsical and abstract that the concrete advice got buried, making it difficult to understand the takeaway. Also, several of the "doorways" felt redundant, leading to tangents that had me skimming pretty often just wanting her to get to the point. A tighter edit could have easily combined or cut some of these repetitive sections.

Overall, it is an easy, enjoyable read full of helpful advice—perfect for anyone looking to boost their creative energy, even if it gets a little lost in the clouds sometimes!

[Leanne Geurts · Rating 5 out of 5]

June 25; if there has ever been a book that resonates with how I progress and feel as a writer, than this is it. It almost feels like Ausubel is peeking in my head through some sort of obscure Roald Dahl device and notices what is going on in my life and she writes it down in a little notebooek. Of course, I know this book is from 2023 and we are in 2026, but that device I was talking about? It can also look in your brain in the future, just a fair warning.... !

July 1. I'm halfway through this book, I'm writing at the same time while I'm reading other books. A deadly mix I noticed as it affects my choice of words and changes my story as I am writing. I'm glad it's only a first draft and I hope to have the story finished when I have finished this book. Ausubel has a wonderful way of bringing this book to life! Despite the misandric undertone here and there I feel that a writer's guide should look like 'Unstuck'. Plenty of current books about writing provide a ton of examples from existing books and I consider that filler policy to help the book. Ausubel does nothing of a kind and her examples make a lot of sense and are most of the time not even necessary. Ausubel uses the 'key' concept whereby she gives a clear instruction on what to do and I was a bit overwhelmed at first, thinking: I should have a list of things when I edit or review. But I have come to the conclusion that not all of her pointers would apply to first drafts. Whatever she describes/suggests: it might already be there.

July 4
I finished this book yesterday evening and I know I said it before: I have had so much training in writing but never something as personal like this and I absolutely love it! I have an older unpublished first draft and I decided to hold my copy of Unstuck close by while I revise the first draft. Or 'half draft' as Ausubel calls it.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for the writer who is struggling to get started on a project or work through one. This is perfect for the writer whose imposter syndrome is holding them back from getting started. Ausubel presents the writing process in all its relatable messiness and uses her unique voice to explain the process in ways that feel approachable and achievable. I was so inspired by the doorways she discusses that a writer walks through while writing. Her tips were also very helpful. I generated a lot of ideas from reading this book. It is aptly titled. It will help you get unstuck. One of the best craft books I have ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando/Tin House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[✨Annalisa✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Review of Advanced copy received from Net Galley*

This is a great book for writers of many levels. I have been writing for a while for fun and some of the advice in this book I already knew however there was still so much knowledge I gained from it. It has very helpful tips that are meaningful, and helpful when struggling to get it down on paper.

The most helpful was the clunky parts of writing that do not come as easily as your own story. Having a structure of all the pieces you need to actually get writing is so helpful. Definitely keeping this in my pocket as I continue to write as it has been so helpful already as I worked through a chunk of my most recent works where I had the beginning and the end but no middle.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my new favorite craft book for writers. Organized as a series of "doorways" into which the reader/writer is invited, the book offers practical tips, inspiration, and encouragement, along with explicit exercises ("keys") at the end of each chapter/doorway. I know this will become a reference book I'll return to frequently, at all stages of writing, whenever I need an exercise to help me move forward. I've already used several "keys" as daily writing exercises. Ausubel is a wonderful guide through these doorways, warm and encouraging, like your favorite teacher or coach. To my mind, this is an essential book for any writer's shelf.

Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Amelia Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just purchased this last week, and it's already been immensely helpful in getting me unstuck! I particularly love the idea of "writing the islands" of scenes in a first draft, trusting that the bridges and connections will become possible in a second draft. Practical, conversational, and very helpful! This, along with Susan Griffin's Out of Silence, Sound, Out of Nothing, Something, is one of my favorite recent books on craft. So glad I heard her interview on Mitzi Rapkin's First Draft podcast and bought the book.

--Amelia

[Franny M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The descriptions of all the odd shapes writing takes before the final product was just what I needed to hear. This book truly helped me unstick my brain and get out of writers' block. It addressed the doubts that were holding me back. This craft book has the whimsy that you can find in Ausubel's fiction. I'd highly recommend this to any writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for the eARC.

[Kristen Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely collection of mini-essays with prompts for diving deeper into your story and writing projects. Unfortunately, I found it a bit too long. Maybe because I was trying to get it back to the library, but I found myself skimming aggressively toward the end. I probably needed to just read a few each day or when I was feeling stuck. I did pull a number of good tidbits and ideas from this book, but it’s not one I am desperate to have on my shelf and revisit.

[Brendan O'Meara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have to sit beside your favorite craft books. Pick a door, Ramona's got a key for you. It doesn't excuse you from doing the work, but through her shared experience you'll be a more sure-footed writer.

[Angel Dimitrievski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! For beginner writers or writers at any stage. I wish I could have this book sooner! The keys and exercises are so valuable. The shared experiences makes you feel less lonely in some writing blockages and that this too is part of a creation process.

[Logan Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an advance copy for review, will have full review up once it’s been published!

[J. Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be valuable for many, especially newer writers. For anyone who’s studied the writing craft for a while, though, you’ve probably heard all of this before.

[L]

DNF. I have to stop reading books about writing.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave this to a friend, and she found it very useful.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

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