As I’ve written in another post, sometimes it’s good to put a project aside and return to it with fresh eyes. But if you’ve done that and still feel stuck, take action. There are many remedies for writer’s block. Try them one by one until you find the one that works for you. Here are some options:
- Interview your characters as to what they think should happen next. A writer to whom I recommended this recently told me it solved her problem even though she was quite sceptical about this approach.
- Interview your writing block. When you imagine it, what image or sound comes to mind? Imagine a dialogue with it in which you ask what it’s trying to do for you. Yes, assume it has a positive intention. Often it’s trying to protect you, perhaps because what you are writing is bringing up difficult memories, or your fear that it might upset someone, or your concern that nobody will want to read it if you finish it. Once you have identified the nature of the fear you can deal with it more easily.
- Jump to a different part of the story and write that. You can always come back and fill in the missing bit.
The crucial thing is not to give in but to take action to solve the problem.
(Want lots of strategies for being more productive? You'll find them in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done." It's published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)