What's in a name? Almost everything. We writers shouldn't need to be told that words have a huge impact. We wield them like power tools every day.

Still - how many writers get stumped in a story and start to bray, "Stand back, Don't come near! I've developed a bad case of Writers' Block!" Sounds like an obstruction in the bowel. Surgery required!

In my opinion, slapping the label of Writers' Block on yourself is a mistake. In fact, you are using your own words to put a curse on yourself.

When I think of "Writer's Block," I see a great granite cube tumbling out of the sky to slam into my path. BAM! I face it, pen in trembling hand, looking at something real, huge, heavy. Downright scary. It stops me cold!

My advice - do yourself a solid. Don't call it by the Goliath name!

Try this, even (especially) just in your mind: "I'm a little stuck on this plot point. I'm not sure where I'm going from here. But I'm going to keep moving."

One technique to keep the wheels rolling is to pick another part of the story and work on that. Or I might flesh in a character's back story while my subconscious is working through my challenge.

Even more directly - sketch in point form a number of ways the story might go forward from your little hiccup.

In other words - don't panic. Don't magnify the problem. Be gentle with yourself!

What you call things counts. Don't curse yourself.