Goodreads asked E.B. Dawson:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

E.B. Dawson I'm pretty generous with myself when it comes to writer's block. As a self-published author at this point, I only have self-imposed deadlines. Plus, I love my stories so much that I know I will come back to them and get them where they need to go. My brain tends to function like a percolator. It takes time to get boiling. When I am struggling with a scene/character/development I retreat from it for a while. I often distract myself with mindless tasks (playing computer solitaire) that allow me to think.

When I know where I want to go but am struggling with motivation to write those dreaded transition scenes I often will skip ahead to scenes I'm more comfortable with or excited about. This gets my creative juices flowing and usually suggests more content.

But if I am really struggling on a project, I work on something else. I avoided short stories for a long time, but I've recently been enjoying them. I have found it very helpful to start an entirely new project and often I can finish it within a few hours (which is a great confidence boost!).

Other than that? I keep my senses stimulated. Hot beverages, snacks, music, new settings to write in, and reading good literature.

flag