How to avoid writer's block

[Matt Rees]

Writer’s block has nothing to do with writing.

That might seem obvious. When a writer wants to write, but can’t get anything out, he’s blocked. Not writing. Blocked.

But it isn’t the writing that causes the block. Neither is it some psychological problem or an inability to conjure up the Muse of inspiration.

It’s because the writer didn’t put everything on little index cards first.

Read the rest of this post on my blog The Man of Twists and Turns.

[Jon Loomis]

The best way to avoid writer's block is to avoid writing. If that's not an option, the thing that works for me is remembering that books are written scene by scene by scene. Don't think about the book--think about the next scene you need to write, or the next bit of dialogue, or the next descriptive passage.

[I. J. Parker]

Index cards? Who would have thought? But in a sense, a novel is a living thing that grows and changes and doesn't want to be confined in a straightjacket. I cannot divide my story into characters and give each a chapter, or even a section. It's tempting, but it lacks the central character, the one who unifies the book.
Still, index cards might be used in other ways.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Whether it's on index cards or a scribbled notepad, making a general outline is always a good idea. But what if you get stuck writing the outline? I had this problem sketching out my next crime novel. The gaping holes are still there.

What I need, I imagine, is some alone time with a 750 of Polish vodka and a Tool CD. That usually fills those holes but quick.