In my experience, a writing block is usually a sign the story has gone in the wrong direction. It’s best to stop, back up a bit and find out where you started to lose the pace, the excitement or the characters.
When a story throws a wall in my path, I can often find a shift in my writing where “I” took over and stopped allowing it to flow through me. Creativity flows from the right brain, so anytime I begin analyzing or picking things apart, the story begins to unravel. So, certain types of writing blocks or walls can actually be helpful and used as tools along the way.
After using the above technique with blocks that arise, there is the occasion when I still can’t write. So, when a big block lands in my writing path (think full size cinder blocks here, not the cute little toy blocks) and can’t be fixed by adjusting the story accordingly, it often takes me some time to figure out what’s going on.
These types of blocks suck. Yeah, I said it. They suck big time. I’d rather take a nail gun to the head than deal with them sometimes. But, deal with them I must. This usually requires an honest look at my life.
Do I have balance? (sometimes when I write, I don’t eat regular meals or sleep on a normal schedule or talk to living human beings enough)
Am I using writing to avoid certain situations or people? (if so, the longer I go w/o dealing the more it affects my writing)
Have I procrastinated important real life projects or responsibilities? (this one requires my immediate attention, then the writing begins to flow once again)
Do I just need a break? A refresher? To get out of doors? (this one is an easy fix once it’s identified)
Once all of these types of inventories are taken, 9 times out of 10, all writing systems are go. That’s when I strap on my tool belt, sit my butt in a chair, and get back to building the story.
