Goodreads
Goodreads asked Jenai Auman:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jenai Auman I'm not sure I've ever had writer's block.

When I was writing my debut book, Othered, there were a few times I wrote myself into a corner. I was well and truly stuck. It's not that I didn't know what to say next, but I was stuck because I couldn't figure out how to say it. The thoughts and ideas existed in my head and made sense, but communicating them to someone else is another thing.

I had a due date for the manuscript, though, and I gave myself a goal word count to aim for every day. So, I approached the stuckness, which I suppose was writer's block, like it was an escape room. I tried breaching the topic from a bunch of different angles. I also would try to communicate the idea by switching my writing style. Sometimes writing or journaling on the same topic in poetry gave me the words I needed to write it in the book.

But if I ever have writer's block, and I really have no idea where to go, I go for a walk or find another way to let my mind wander. Sometimes if I can move my body, the words move too.

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