“How do you overcome writer’s block?”

Because I have several novels to my credit, hope-to-be writers sometimes ask how I overcome writer’s block. If you’re afflicted by that dread malady, the following thoughts are for you.

First, many author friends agree that the best remedy for writer’s block is simply self-discipline: to force yourself back to the keyboard and to resume working, even if you’re not feeling “inspired.” In fact, if you wait for the the perfect creative mood, you will probably never write. You must be a strict boss with yourself. Plumbers don’t plumb only when they’re in the mood. Surgeons don’t cancel surgery because they’re rather spend the morning playing Solitaire or catching up with friends on Facebook. They do their jobs, inspired or not, and save playtime for later. So must the writer, whether that discipline translates into a specific number of new words added per day, or simply a certain amount of daily time spent pushing the story forward. (Feel free to give yourself a break on Sundays and holidays.)

Second, here is some encouragement: When you woodenly keyboard word after word without feeling motivated, you might conclude you’re typing junk. And maybe you are. But “junk writing” can always be edited and improved and polished at a later date. However, that blank Word document that is waiting for you to be in the mood? There is absolutely no way anyone can ever improve that empty document. When I was developing my third novel, The Methuselah Project, I often felt bogged down by lack of creativity. More than once, I didn’t know how to handle the next chapter. But I pushed through the tough spots. Later, I came back and reworked each scene of every chapter. You know what? Now I can’t tell the difference between my inspired writing and my forced writing. Both types underwent revisions and ended up better than that first draft.

So go ahead and jump in, even if the sentences feel boring and the dialogue clunky as you create it. Sometimes, the mere act of writing and exercising your imagination helps to prime the pump of creativity, enabling scenes to flow faster and with more enjoyment than when you began!