Writer's block

[Gennifer Albin]

And not just trouble writing, I think I'm blocking myself.  Second guessing everything I've written so far and desperate for validation.  What do you do when this happens?

[Tom Bridgeland]

I just start writing about an entirely new person, unrelated to anything I have ever written before. I don't think about the person, I just start writing about a minute in his life. Really, all my writing starts that way, with no set plot or character.

Once I have the character in place, with a few personal details and a bit of action started, I just continue. I am usually a chapter into the book before I have to stop and think about what is going to happen next.

I think writer's block comes from thinking too much. Once I have the story good and started I put it away for a month or months, and let the character percolate in my mind. I'll open the story once in a while, reread it and edit, maybe add a few pages, and put it away again. At this point I don't worry about how it will end, I try more to get the characters in motion and acting real.

[Georgia McBride]

I think writer's block is an indication that you are not writing about the right thing. Move on. Do something different or head in a new direction. Free yourself from that obligation. Watch what happends.

[Vivian R]

I work on something else for a while or I just stop writing for a few days. Then I listen to a bunch of music that has the same feel as whatever I'm writing, then normally it works. Though I've been super unmotivated as of late :|

[LM Preston]

This is my blog post on remedies for writer's block.

[Kenya Anderson]

I just take a deep breath. Then I take a break from my writing. I sit outside and enjoy nature for a while. When my mind is cleared, I let the ideas come to me. I don't try to strain my brain as much. And then I start up my writing again.

[Dawn Embers]

Depends on the issue. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed and need a mini break, so I'll take one. Sometimes, I'm working on the wrong story so I'll switch my focus. Or I will listen to the podcast, I Should Be Writing, for a few episodes, or relisten, and remember that it's okay to suck when writing the first draft.

Also, this may not work for everyone, but I will occasionally get away from the computer and start free writing in a journal involving the novel I'm stuck in or want to be working in soon. It has actually helped me finish a novel that I started in 2007 but didn't finish the first draft until 2009.

Just a few suggestions. Good luck.

[Hannah Goodman]

Deep breath. Take a walk. Get some space for a bit. Then face the music. Sit down in front of the work and just write and write even if it's terrible. I can usually write myself out of the block–but it takes time and patience. Both of which I have little of!

[Mary Jo Campbell]

Oh, boy! I'm here, too. Though I agree with what everyone has said about taking a break from writing and esp. from the computer. I also find that I get blocked when I've reached info overload. i.e. reading too many articles/chats/emails/books/blogs/sites, etc on the topic of writing in general. Sometimes too much help is a detriment to our own inner voice and clouds out that free spirit of creativity. I'd also like to add that block is a form of procrastination and that is usually caused by not knowing what to do and in what order. Which means there is a part of your book that you need to learn more about: the underlying plot maybe or the intention(s) of your protag, etc. What helps me is to ask questions on paper "does xyz move the plot along or take it on a tangent?" "what if the protag's bff is jane instead of sue..." "what does MC really want here and what/who can get in her way?"
Another tip is to write the scenes that call to you now, not trying to write in a linear fashion, just fill in the transitions later.