Goodreads asked Daniel Stern:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Daniel Stern two quotes i like about writer's block:

when chuck palahniuk was asked this same question, he said something to the effect of, "when you don't have to take a shit, do you sit on the toilet?" i side with that sentiment. if the well's run dry, you need to fill it up. i do that by living life. i go to the gym or jog or grocery shop or pay bills or clean or read or hang with friends. non-writing activities allow my creativity to marinate and rest and give my subconscious time to untangle whatever it's wrestling with.

the second quote comes from john green: "coal miners don't get coal miner's block."

while palahniuk's quote gives a writer permission not to write, green's says to keep at it. for me, the answer resides somewhere in the middle. i need to be a stern taskmaster, as my book won't write itself. but i can't write if i don't have something to write about. so, when i have material, i write. when i don't, i seek it out.

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