Goodreads asked Christopher Patterson:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Christopher Patterson When I first started writing, I thought writer's block was just a myth, like something writers used to make excuses for not producing anything, but no, it's real.

I guess to answer this question, the first thing we have to determine is, how long is your writer's block. I have experienced writer's block that lasted a couple hours to a day. I have experienced writer's block that lasted a week or longer. I think writer's block is the result of working on something and thinking about something so much, that you end up overthinking it. Your brain at some point just shuts off. Its the same with any job. If the writer's block is short lived, like there's just a passage or a chapter or a paragraph I am having trouble with, I'll take a break. There are a couple things that can really help get the creative juices going: listening to music, working out, possibly watching a a show or movie from the genre in which we are writing and, of course, reading. Typically speaking, I do one of those things and then get right back after it.

If my writer's block is longer - and I mean like a week or longer - then there may need a few steps that we need to take to get back on track. The first thing I think we need to do is just take a breath and relax. We need to understand that this happens and thats okay. I think this happens because we are just so sold out or bought into our book, we just can't move forward. We get scared, nervous and anxious. So what do I do? What should you do? One of the things I do when I get a serious case of writer's block is I work on another project. Work on a story or another book you have been thinking about. Then, let a friend read what you have. Talk about what's holding you up. Get suggestions. Be open to suggestions. And lastly, seek professional help (no, not a psychologist). Find an editor that you can pay to take a look at what you have. This doesn't mean you have to spend a ton of money. You can pay an editor to do a quick general read through and give you some suggestions.

So, take it for what it is worth, but these are some of the ways I deal with writer's block.

Thanks and HAPPY READING!!!

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