Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, bsc

You’re staring at a blank page. Again.
Your coffee is cold, your ideas feel flat, and that brilliant book you swore you had inside you? Now it’s hiding in a dark cave somewhere under a pile of self-doubt.

Welcome to writer’s block, where even your plot points ghost you.

But don’t worry. I’ve got a trick—a quick, no-nonsense, 10-minute plotting exercise that’s helped me (and many others) get unstuck, reignite creativity, and start moving forward again, especially when the muse decides to take a nap.

Let’s break it down.

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Why Traditional Plotting Sometimes Fails Us

Plotting usually gets sold as a big, intimidating thing:

• A 3-act structure
• A wall full of sticky notes
• Color-coded index cards and a YouTube playlist of inspirational movie scores

But if you’re stuck, the last thing you need is more structure. You don’t need a plan for your plan. You need momentum. Movement. A spark.

Enter: The 10-Minute Plotting Trick.

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The Trick: Write the Last Scene First

Yes, you read that right.

Instead of outlining or trying to force your way through Chapter One for the 14th time… write the last scene of your book.

The final chapter.
The emotional payoff.
The confrontation, the kiss, the goodbye, the reveal.

Whatever your book’s genre, there is an end.
And when you write it first—even just in a messy, rough-draft form—you unlock everything that leads up to it.

Here’s How It Works:

1. Set a 10-minute timer.
   That’s it. No pressure to write a masterpiece. This is just a scene draft.
2. Picture your main character at the end of their journey.
   Are they stronger? Broken but wiser? Madly in love? Running away? Write that.
3. Start writing.
   Dialogue. Thoughts. Movement. Sensory details. Let your brain fill in the blanks, even if you don’t know the full plot yet.
4. When the timer’s up, stop.
   Look at what you’ve got. You now have:
   • A destination
   • An emotional tone
   • A glimpse of what this story is really about

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Why This Works

Because writing the end:

• Creates clarity: You suddenly know what your character wants, and what has to change.
• Reveals stakes: If they win or lose in the end, the middle matters.
• Bypasses perfectionism: You’re not “starting”—you’re skipping ahead. It feels sneaky. It feels freeing.

This isn’t about being linear. It’s about tricking your brain out of freeze mode.

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A Personal Example

When I was writing Confessions of a Curvy Heart, I was blocked for weeks. The opening felt clunky, and I wasn’t connecting with my main character anymore.

Then I wrote the last 500 words.
The scene where she finally speaks her truth—loud, messy, and without apology. The scene where love shows up for her because she finally showed up for herself.

It gave me everything I needed to go back and fix the beginning. Because now I knew what the journey was for.

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What If I Don’t Know the Ending Yet?

That’s okay. Just guess.
Write an ending, not the ending.

There are no rules. You can rewrite it later. The goal is to:

• Move forward
• Spark ideas
• Get emotionally invested

Think of it as a flashlight in the dark. You don’t have to see the whole road—just the next few steps.

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Bonus: 3 Variations to Try

If the final scene feels too scary, try one of these instead:

• Write the final line of your book. Even just one sentence.
• Write the final dialogue exchange between your characters.
• Write the “big moment” scene (confession, climax, showdown) even if it’s not at the very end.

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Next time you feel frozen, I challenge you to try it:
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write your book’s ending.
Just for you. Just for now.

Then come back and tell me—did it work?

Let’s talk in the comments. Or better yet—subscribe to the newsletter for more practical indie author tips, real writing advice, and free resources delivered straight to your inbox.