Goodreads asked Lea Beall:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Lea Beall I think writer's block for me comes from a fear of writing or having no material with which to work. Coming up with an idea out of the blue is hard. So for college students, I really feel for you. You don't always have the luxury of waiting for inspiration. I've been there. The important thing is not to feel that your first sentence has to be perfect. If you know your subject just start writing what you know about it. Don't organize your thoughts necessarily. Just start writing whatever you know as if you were taking an essay test and the question was, what do you know about such and such. You can pick it apart later and organize your sentences and paragraphs later. You might also realize what you don't know this way and you can look it up.
Or brainstorm and just write words or phrases about your topic as you think of them.
I write all the time. I keep a notebook by my bed and take one with me even when I'm going to the dentist. I write down everything that's cute or amazing or funny that I think of or see. Sometimes I just think of a phrase or a name of a character or a scene or a line, or two words that I like that rhyme for a poem. (Yes, I write rhyming poetry and it's pretty good). So I always have that notebook to fall back on if I need an idea.
It's much easier to write when there isn't a blank slate in front of you.
Sometimes I just write a scene between 2 characters and that's all. But it's in my notebook to give me inspiration another time.
I would say if you have nothing and that blank slate is staring at you. Go sit in a public park and watch people. Ask yourself what the ducks are saying to each other. What kind of character would drive that weird looking car over there? What kind of situation did that officer just come from? (Say a prayer for him or her). The world is full of wonderful things, but there is nothing new under the sun.

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