Goodreads asked Lancelot Schaubert:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Lancelot Schaubert I tend to agree with Rothfuss in that "plumbers don't get plumber's block," but I also know what we mean by "writer's block" and it's a human problem in general that tends to have a decent amount of crossover with writers in particular, so let's address this. People get writer's block for three reasons:

1. Depression
2. They have nothing to write about
3. Resistance

You deal with #1 by realizing that great writers are fundamentally great humans. If you have writer's block stemming from depression, it's not because of writing. It's because you're a human and dealing with depression through healing, counseling, community, and actually doing the thing you feel called to do — even a little bit of writing — is actually the way out of it: the fear, the pain, the depression is the way. The crossover, of course, is the melancholy spirit in general that makes us reflective.

You deal with #2, as McKee said, by imagination, research, and memory. Imagination for what could be, extrapolating out the logical conclusions of the setting and characters and worldbuilding you've done — essentially prewriting and dreaming. Research to give you fodder for something you're ignorant about, whether through hitting the library or interviewing others. And memory because sometimes you need to reflect on how you'd be similar to a character, incarnate more of yourself in the narrative.

You deal with #3 by reading The War of Art

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