Goodreads asked Brian Sigmon:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Brian Sigmon Usually I do one of two things.

1) Focus on a different scene or section of my book for a while. I'm an outliner, so it's very rare that I won't have a good sense of an overall story before I start writing. If one part of the story is giving me trouble, I'll switch to another part that feels easier. That gives me confidence, which is huge for getting past writer's block. It also can help me see the story better, so I have a better sense of what the characters would do, or what's needed for the plot, in the scene I'm struggling with. That way, when I come back to it, maybe I've already made some progress.

2) Sometimes I can just power through it. Brainstorm, make a list, and try to tackle it like a problem to be solved. For instance, if it's a series of chapters that I'm struggling with, I will say, "At the end of these chapters, where do we need to be? What needs to happen to set up the rest of the story?" Knowing that, I can write a very bad version of it. A terrible draft that I just know is going to need heavy revision later. But that gets the ideas out, and usually when I come back to the material later it's pretty clear what's wrong or missing.

"You can always delete or change it later" is a huge comfort for me. Knowing that in the writing process, nothing is permanent, gives me the freedom to play and experiment. I think that helps overcome writer's block.

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