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Goodreads asked E.A. Allen:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

E.A. Allen I do not get "writer's block." Once I have the idea for a Montclaire Mystery -- either a short (Weekend Mystery) or novel, I begin to think of plot, working from back to front. Someone called mystery writing "learning to think backward," Once I have the crime, the main characters, and the end I am working toward, I begin to plot. I structure my plots according to a traditional Three Act model, using the greatest plotting device know to man -- The Hero's Journey. These structures keep me moving forward and effectively prevent "writer's block." That is not to minimize how difficult it can be. I often hit a wall in thinking up plot twists, especially where those plot twists are most important, and climbing that wall can be a species of self-torture.

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