Goodreads
Goodreads asked Susan Elliot Wright:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Susan Elliot Wright I write through it – I allow myself to write rubbish. In order to trick my subconscious into thinking it doesn't matter, I have documents on my desktop with titles like 'for deletion' or 'practice writing'. That way, I can continue to exercise the 'writing muscle' even if I'm not making any progress on my current project. 'Writer's block' is usually about being stuck, hitting a major problem with what you're writing. Often, it's a question of working through a plot problem, and working through plot problems is hard, so we tend to just stop writing and assume we're 'blocked'. I get stuck quite often, and it's horrible, but I still make myself write something regularly, even if it's only, 'I am horribly stuck and I'm not sure how to move forward.' Then I usually write something like, 'maybe I could try ...' Then I suggest things to myself and try them. It doesn't always work (though sometimes it does) but it prevents me from suffering complete creative paralysis.

More Answered Questions

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more