Mind Meets Machine is a video podcast by Avik where mental health, AI, and business collide in the most human way. Real conversations with founders, therapists, doctors, and creators. Practical tools, clear insights, and zero fluff. Learn to think clearer, work smarter, and live better in a tech-driven world.
A blank page can feel like a personal verdict, but writer’s block is rarely just “not knowing what happens next.” We talk about what actually stops writers when the stakes start to feel real, from the craft problems hiding in plain sight to the internal fear that gets louder the closer you get to finishing.
I’m joined by Elyse Seal, a certified book coach and developmental editor who has spent years helping fiction authors get unstuck by diagnosing what’s truly broken, not just polishing sentences. We unpack a common surprise: many “plot problems” are really character problems. Elyse shares how a passive main character can drain momentum from an otherwise solid story, and how getting clear on what your protagonist wants, the wound that blocks them, and the change they must undergo can make scenes click back into place.
We also get honest about the inner terrain of writing: imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and the fear of judgment that comes with putting your worldview and vulnerability on the page. Elyse offers two grounding questions that bring clarity fast: what’s your why, and what’s your point (theme). We close with practical ways to move forward, including the power of community, second eyes, and a simple one-page “story snapshot” tool to spot gaps quickly.
If you’ve been stuck, stalled, or “learning” instead of writing, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a writer friend, and leave a review so more creators can find the support they need.
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Dear listeners, you know like that feeling when you sit down to write and nothing comes. Happened with me. I mean, I I wrote two books, but trust me, same with the first one, same with the second one. I I I knew about the topic, but then when I started writing, I thought, but I'll write. I'm not I'm I'm not gathering like wha how to start, which one I'll write first. It happens, right? I mean, not because you don't have the words, but because something deeper is tangled. Like you stare at the screen, you rearrange the scenes, you tell yourself the story is not good enough yet. And the longer you wait, the heavier. So today we are talking about what really stops writers, and it's not always the story itself. Sometimes the block lives in the writer, not the speech. So I'm your host, Avik, and you are listening to Mindmates Machine, dear listeners, a space where we slow down and look at the questions most of us are too busy to ask. And joining me as a very lovely guest, please, please welcome Elise Seal. So welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_01
Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00
Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much for joining us, Elise. And dear listeners, like before we get into the discussion, I'll quickly continue to say with Elise. So she's a certified book coach and developmental editor who spent six years helping fiction authors get unstuck by diagnosing what's actually broken. Not just kind of polishing what's already on the page. So we will have a definitely great conversation, dear listeners. Stay with us and let's get started. So
at least like, I mean, a lot of people assume that writer's block is just about not knowing what's happening. I mean, what happens next in the story. Um, so what do you think is the most common misconception you see when authors come to you feeling stuck?
SPEAKER_01
Well, I mean, writer's block, there is a craft side of it. And a lot of the craft side is very much like they haven't gotten curious enough about usually a character. And going with going with the craft side, just super quick, it's like usually what they don't know about their character is what they want, kind of what I call the wound that they have. And that is kind of what's getting in their way, but on an internal level. And then how do you actually want this character to change? And so
that's the biggest thing that I see with writer's block. But the other thing is like two things that I've seen when it comes to the author. Number one is imposter syndrome. Like, I have had an author where she literally told me during coaching, it's like, who am I to write about this? Because like I have struggled with this certain thing. Like she was writing about gentle parenting. And she was like, I felt like I was a terrible parent throughout my life. And so who am I to actually write about this? And I actually told her, you're the right person precisely because you've struggled with this and are working it out in real time alongside your reader. And like the other thing that I really see is perfectionism. And I see this in when I tell an author, like, hey, this book is ready. This this book is ready to be published. And they say, no, no, I need like one more proofreader. Or when we're starting, and there's like, this first chapter needs to be perfect before I move on. Or I just have to get that world building figured out before I actually start like writing my story. Or like my favorite one, the I call it procrastinate learning. It's like I just have to learn this one thing more before I actually start writing. And that feels productive because you're like, I'm getting better at writing, but you're not actually writing. You're just procrastinating because you're you don't know what to do next.
SPEAKER_00
Exactly. So when they realize that it's not the plot that's broken, so then what do you I mean what they I mean, what do they usually discover? Okay, okay. We'll we'll stop. It shows me that yours is not recording. Can I just check? It's just given me the message that it's not recording. Suddenly it stopped. I don't know why this. Can you just join back again? Do not leave. Just I mean, leave this meeting room and again join the same link. Maybe network interruptions happened.
SPEAKER_01
Maybe, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, yeah. Sure. Now recording.
SPEAKER_01
Are we recording again?
SPEAKER_00
Yes. No, no, I mean uh whatever we did, it's already done. From this uh I mean the question I shared. So you just start with the answer. So previous it is recorded, but yeah.
Okay, so I actually had a client who she thought she was done with her book. So she went to a copy editor and he looked at her and he was like, You've got problems with your character, and absolutely devastated. So she came to me, and you're right, her plot was just fine. What was wrong is her her main character was very passive. Like every other character was driving the story except him, which in the story, in stories, we always want the main character to be taking action and making decisions that drive the story. Like we are experiencing the story through their eyes. And he honestly was experiencing the story alongside of us instead of actually doing anything. So instead of the plot being the problem, again, like I see so often, it was the character. So what we had to do is, yo, we went deep into this main character psychology and really figured out what he wanted and how that changes throughout the book and how she wanted him to change because she'd already written several, she'd already written the entire series, but she was going back to work on the first book. And so we had to figure out where does he start and where we want him to end, just at this first book. And there needs to be like an arc of change, but it's like we also need to see what's holding him back, not only on the outside with other characters and situations, but also inside himself. And once we did that deeper work, it's like all of a sudden we she figured out like how to change a scene here where we needed to add some, where we needed to delete some, and the plot just started clicking, and it was just such a better read.
SPEAKER_00
Got it, got it. So I mean, yeah, like that makes so much of sense because we spend kind of so much of time trying to fix the outside when the real tangle is the internal part. So and you mentioned the imposter syndrome and kind of perfectionism as two big reasons, writers tall.
So, what do you think is the kind of root of that? Like, why does the internal critic get so loud, kind of so loud, right? Someone is trying to create something meaningful.
SPEAKER_01
It's a 100% fear of judgment. It's like a book is an extension of an author. Like, there is so much of an author in a book. Like a lot of times you get their worldview, you get their experiences. And so to put that out there. And also, like a book, you also go into the mind of a character and a lot of and the emotions. And a lot of times to write well, authors have to be vulnerable. They gotta wear their emotions on their sleeves. They've they put their whole heart and soul into this. And so that fear of judgment, like especially as we get closer to publishing, I see it come out more and more. It's just like, and I always encourage my authors, it's like, we want this to be the best it can be. But I also tell them, your book is not for everyone. Like there are gonna be some people who read it and are like, I didn't like this book, or I thought it was trash. And take it with a grain of salt, they weren't your person. But there are gonna be people that you write this book and they're like, This changed my life. And it's like one of the ways that
I really like there's two questions I always ask my authors. And I'm just like, this is the best way to really tell if you have a good book and you know exactly what you want from this book. And the first one is what is your why? What is the deep level why that you are writing this book? Like, not I want to make money, or I've had this idea for years and I just want to get it out. Those are valid, but it's not the it's not the deeper reason. Like, what experiences of yours are you actually processing through this book? Or like what are you trying to say through this book? What are you trying to share with people? Because that is what's gonna make it worth it. That's what is, that's what's really important to you that's really gonna come through this book. And the second one, in the book community, we call it theme. What's your theme? But I call it like what's your point? Like, what are you arguing for? Because every book argues for something, even if you don't realize it. It's like you've written, you said you've written two books. It's like both of those books are arguing for something, whether it's fiction or nonfiction. Like, just real quick, like Harry Potter. It's like that book is over is arguing that love always overcomes evil. If you think of like, we'll go to romanticy, a court of thorns and roses. Like, if it's true love, it requires choice and that freedom of choice. If we go to like dungeon crawler Carl, that's really popular right now. It's like staying human means staying kind, even when the system rewards cruelty. And those two questions help you to see like what your book is really about and who your people are, and helps you see clearly what's really important about your book. And that helps, it doesn't completely clear the perfectionism and the imposter syndrome, but when we can keep going back to that during the hard times, like it helps so much.
SPEAKER_00
Exactly true. Yeah. And no, like also, also, I mean, do you think that voice gets louder the closer someone gets to actually finishing?
SPEAKER_01
Well, yeah, because like when you're in the beginning, like I I always try and help my my authors to see the end of the road, even when we're beginning. But you know, you don't quite believe it until the rubber is about to meet the road. You're just like, you finally have to actually put that book out there. It's like you're you're finished with the writing and the editing, like it's ready to be sent out to everyone else. Like this is when you are judged, whether it's for good or for for bad. And so that's yes, the the voice gets much louder when reality really hits.
SPEAKER_00
I agree, totally, totally agree. Yeah. And I definitely love to, I mean, before we go there, like uh it's really uh I mean, it's almost like the stakes rise the moment something starts to feel real. The more we care, the harder it becomes to keep going. So yeah, I mean, there's the there's a cruel irony. But someone who is listening right now, or maybe they're listening, so who writes or creates anything really? So, how does this show up for them day to day? Like, what does it actually look like when the block is internal and what about the work itself?
like how this shows up day to day. One big way that it shows up is I can't. I like every author that I've ever worked with has at least one thing in their writing where they struggle to to learn it. Like, I had an author who really struggled to have her characters express emotions on the inside and the outside. And like she had a full-on crash out on me one day, which is actually quite normal. It's like, authors, please understand that like having crash-outs like while you're writing is perfectly normal and it's okay to have them. But it's like, and she was telling me she was like, this book is gonna be awful, like, I just can't get it right. Like, I'm never gonna figure this out. And I was like, okay, yes, you are struggling right now. You are frustrated, and that's that's legit. It's like we can we can stay in that frustration for a for a minute, but it's like this is a skill that we are learning, and so you can get better at it, but it is one that you struggle with, and so it might take a little while. And so what we did is I got her different resources. Like, I was like, okay, here's a book I want you to read. It's like, let's go through some exercises together so that you're not working on it on your own, like you're working with me. And I'm gonna say it took us about a month. And she was like, you know what? I'm I'm really figuring this out. And just thank you. And that's that's the power of not basically saying, I can figure this out. It's frustrating, but I can figure it out. And also to all my authors, please have community. It's like if you are struggling, come to an expert like me, like a developmental editor, a book coach. If you can't afford that, it's like critique partners, beta readers, Facebook communities. It's like have someone that you can get second eyes on your work because that makes a huge difference.
SPEAKER_00
That second eye is very important, yes, definitely. And when you name that with a client, then what shifts?
SPEAKER_01
It's like I think, well, naming what specifically?
SPEAKER_00
Like the problem? Yeah, you can take it like the problem or the instance, yeah.
SPEAKER_01
Like once we name the problem, then you have like an active, like you know exactly what the problem is, instead of it being a vague, like, I'm not sure what the problem is. Like, so many authors that come to me are like, well, like I've been working on this book for a while and something's off, but I can't figure out what. Once we've named it, it's like that's that's a big thing. Because and so often people will see the the symptom of the problem. But where you come and work with a developmental editor or book coach like me, we are trained to get to the root of that problem. Like I said, like people who think they have a plot problem, but actually it's a character problem and they just couldn't see it. But once we see it, then we can actually like go deeper into that. And it's like specifically attack that instead of being broad. It's like I it's like I went to school as a nurse first before I became a book coach. And it's like using specific antibiotics instead of the broad spectrum. It's like you're attacking exactly what you know is the problem.
So I mean, if I say like if you have to give one advice to the listeners today, uh, what will you give?
SPEAKER_01
Sure. There's so many things I could say, but the one thing that I really believe in as a book coach is community. And that having community helps you like with your crash outs, having people who will be there to encourage you and like who have struggled with the same things. Having someone to get second eye is being like, what in the world were you thinking? Like, we'll give you that tough love. We'll just tell you, well, your writing's amazing. Because you don't need that. It's like it's good to have the encouragement, but it's good to have someone call you out and be like, no, this isn't working. And I always tell people, especially if it's your first book, you need a developmental editor. Because if it's your first book, no matter what, you're a beginner and you don't see your patterns. So I always beg everyone who's writing their first book, get a developmental edit. I know it's expensive, but it's 100%.
SPEAKER_00
Yep, that's really helpful. And dear listeners, do do do check out and also think about it because this will gonna definitely help you in the long run. So why not invest here right now rather than thinking later, right? So uh that is this is most important. Yeah.
And so Elise, like if listeners wants to connect with you, how they can connect.
SPEAKER_01
Well, I'm on Instagram and TikTok at elise.j.seal. And one of the best ways to connect with me is I've got a tool called the story snapshot. And remember the first the two questions that I asked earlier? The what's your why and theme? Those are the first two questions in my story snapshot. It's completely free. It's basically it gets your entire story onto one page. It's 11 questions, and it really helps you to see the big picture of your story and to see where the gaps are. And so that's where I start with a lot of people. It's like, so you can like DM me and ask, like, hey, can I get this? And fill it out. And a lot of people send it back to me, and I help them to see where the gaps are in their story. And just that one thing can help you get unstuck.
SPEAKER_00
Amazing. So, dear listeners, what I'll do is I'll put all the links, details, everything into the show notes for your easy reference. And um, I'll just say, like, the block is not always in the story, sometimes it is in the permission that we haven't given ourselves yet. So, yeah, that is very important. So, what I'll do is I'll uh put all those links, as I mentioned, into the show notes. And first of all, thank you so much, Elise, for sharing your perspective, your knowledge, and what you have seen in uh your experience and sharing with people that is very, very create and it definitely gonna help people as well. And for everyone who is listening, or maybe will be listening later as well. I hope that this gave you the permission to look at your own stuck places a little differently. Like not as a kind of failure, but as a signal that this is happening. Sometimes or something in you is trying to protect you, and maybe it's the time to thank it. Keep going anyway. Right. So with this, this is your host of and this is Mind Maid's machine. I'll see you in the next one. Thank you so much.
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