How do you deal with writer’s block?

DP Sometimes my wife will tell me, "You should go write something." I know. Sounds legitimate, right? If you're a writer, you should be able to go write whenever you have time. Well, that's not the way this thing works. At least for me.

Writer's block comes in many forms, like being too tired, too hot, too cold, or distractions in the house—like the vacuum that just has to be ran right now or the entire universe will collapse. It can even come from having the time to write. Just having the time creates an expectation, and that can lead me to stare at the last paragraph trying to come up with what happens next, even when I know where the story is going. Talk about frustrating.

Dealing with it is another story. There are times I can just push through the scene and everything starts flowing again. What a relief. Other times I have to get up and do something else, like watch TV or play guitar. Just dive into something else for a while. I love TV and movies. Losing myself in a story line for a while helps to clear my head.

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