Goodreads asked Janice Erlbaum:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Janice Erlbaum Writer's block has many causes and takes many forms, so one strategy isn't going to address all of them.

Sometimes I'm blocked because I don't know where to begin, so my strategy is to start in the middle -- dive in anywhere and start writing just to get the hands moving and hone the voice. I know that I probably won't use most of what I write verbatim, but it will be very useful in terms of getting me going.

Sometimes I'm stumped in the middle of a piece, and that's either because a) I'm trying to keep something in the piece that's just not working, but I love it too much to cut it (strategy: cut it), or b) there's something I don't want to mention, or some inhibition about telling this part of the story (strategy: write about why I don't want to write about it, see if that leads me to an answer).

Another strategy I employ when I'm stumped is to write an email to a friend, and tell them the story you're trying to write. "I'm writing about the time I took this cab ride with a female driver who was so much like a younger me. The reason I was in the cab in the first place..." This will almost always lead me somewhere new. Most of these emails don't get sent, but some do. My friends are used to it.

Sometimes I'm stumped because I don't have anything to write about. This is an excellent time to read a book.

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