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Probably one of the most common questions writers get. But do you do anything special to ward off writers block?

I don't really believe in writer's block. I mean, of course we all have days or weeks when we just can't get to it but I don't really think that's any different from any other mental blockage or patch of improductivity caused by stress, anxiety, busy personal or professional lives, lack of focus etc. So that being said I try to work against it the same way I work against any type of avoidant or similar behavior in any aspect of my life. I try to find out why I am not able to write (can't I focus, am I have problems with the story, am I stressed) and then solve that problem if possible. If it is not a problem that is directly solvable (like just being in a funk), I try to just push past it by trying to be diciplined, setting short-term attainable goals etc. Sometimes the 5 minute rule (sit down and force yourself to work for 5 minutes, if it still feels crummy then stop and if not then keep going) can be quite helpful.

I just do something different. I can't force myself to write. It just makes it worse. So I edit or do something completely unrelated.

There are so many ways to combat writer's block and they are all different depending on what works for the author. Creating an environment that is free from distraction is probably the best thing you can do combat writer's block. If there is nothing to do but write then you are likely to at least get something done, even if it is terrible and will need to be rewritten. Sometimes taking a break to walk around or even doing some jogging to get the blood flowing can help with the creative process. Taking a shower can help if you get great ideas while in the shower. One of my favorite things to do when I am having trouble focusing is to take a Vitamin B supplement pill. Vitamin B is what makes those energy shots like 5 hour energy so effective. Caffeine will jolt you awake if you're tired, but vitamin B will give you that focus without making you jittery.

I write epic fantasy. So, I'll grab two books from fantasy, a couple from my horror shelf, and then random mystery, thriller, suspense and romance.
I turn to any page and begin reading. If, by the 2nd chapter, my own creative flow hasn't begun, that book is replaced by the next. Sometimes it takes 2 books, other times, it may take several.
Reading someone else's work seems to do the trick.
CAUTION: some books are good enough, and haven't been read in quite some time, causing one to re-sink into story; thus, procrastination now has an excuse :D
Not good.
Not good at all.

I don't know if writer's block is real or not, however, after publishing my second book, I felt empty. Still do. So instead of fighting it, I've decided to take a break and read as many books I can. I feel it coming back but not enough to actually sit and write, but it's a start. I also enrolled in another writing course. (Well, it's the same one I did in February, but a new session and since it was a one time fee, it's free so why not?) I'm worried my lessons will be empty but whatever happens, I hope it will kick my muse a little bit.
Over all, I try not to worry but then again, unlike you all, I never felt I was a writer. I never felt the urge to write (aside from what my MC wants me to tell the world. So maybe it's just 'him' being silent).

I think reading is a really good idea. Even if you don't like the book, it's the hole 'I can do better than this!' thing :p

Also I like your vitamin idea Brian as I've recently discovered that a large proportion of my health issues seem to be from lacking in a certain vitamin xD Pretty amazing how it smashed through my brain fog.

I also spend way too much time staring at my ceiling. My sofa is big and flat like a bed so I just kinda lay there until my brain starts working again :p

Bisky wrote: "I also spend way too much time staring at my ceiling. My sofa is big and flat like a bed so I just kinda lay there until my brain starts working again :p ..."

Oh boy, if I'd lay down on the sofa looking at my ceiling (which is pretty nice since it's a cathedral ceiling :P) I'd be there all day, all night, all week, and lately, all month too. That would soon turn into depression. :P

You never know, you might spot a spider hiding there. That happened to me once :p

Spiders don't hide on the ceiling. They wait for you to pass by so they can drop down the back of your shirt without you noticing. #howtogetpeopletolookupallthetime

A spider or a moth :p You it's just blending in, waiting for you to pass so it can flutter around your head.

Why would you try to scare me with such moths? ;~;

No way! Bisky is scared of moths? Time to write a horror story just for her. :P

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

;~; Whhhhhhhy...

ooooh i feel so evil now >:}

We've found Bisky's kryptonite! Just have to make sure she doesn't have a flyswatter.

Sorry Brian, that's not the right answer. If we found her kryptonite, we need to keep it to ourselves (yes, we may use it to get what we want BUT no one else should learn about it). It's our Bisky after all. We need to protect her!

I have hairspray and a lighter. They are less scary on fire for some reason.

Oh I'm not sharing or anything. Just filing it away as useful information I will most likely never use.

@Bisky What do you do if the moth gets trapped in your hair?? Can't set it on fire then!

Fire cannot kill a dragon.

That oddly explains everything :p

Bisky wrote: "Fire cannot kill a dragon."

And moths can?

They can flutter dragons into dying of exhaustion.

Dragons don't have hair! I guess that does explain it though. They burn off all their hair setting moths on fire. hmmm

I dunno, Haku from Spirted Away has some glorious flowing locks :p

I bet he never had a moth get stuck in his hair.

Because he set them on fire well before! :D

I love how this has morphed into a conversation about dragons vs moths. Dragons obviously win. So what were we talking about before something shiny distracted us? lol

Writer's block!

Maybe that's why writers sometimes can't write a thing. They wander too far away from their subject and get lost in the wonderful world of dragons and moths.

Writer's Block? What Writer's Block?

P.D. wrote: "Writer's Block? What Writer's Block?"

Writers block: When decrepit and used up writers are crushed the resulting compacted cube is referred to as a writers block. Useful as a door jamb, stool or table, slow release garden compost. WARNING: Depending on the constituent parts of the writers block your plants may sprout carnivorous heads and lashing tendrils, moth and/or hairy dragon attracting pheromones.

Jim wrote: "P.D. wrote: "Writer's Block? What Writer's Block?"

Writers block: When decrepit and used up writers are crushed the resulting compacted cube is referred to as a writers block. Useful as a door jam..."

Yeah, I don't think I want one of those...

You sure? Only three easy payments of 99.99... Plus a set of steak knives!

But I don't eat steak.

We'll gladly swap them our for vegetarian/fish/chicken knives. Don't let their outward appearance of steak knife fool you though, as they are most definitely not.

Jim wrote: "We'll gladly swap them our for vegetarian/fish/chicken knives. Don't let their outward appearance of steak knife fool you though, as they are most definitely not."

Can also double as plot twists, i.e., It was done in the conservatory, with the vegan-knife, by Col. Mustard...though, Ms. Scarlet watched from behind the bookcase that leads into a secret passageway.

Yeah.
Gotta love starting thread with writers.
THIS will teach you.

Haha.

I think things like this can be good for writer's block. Just unlocking your mind with randomness. If nothing else at least it can be an amusing distraction. The worst thing is stressing over it.

Laughter and vegan steak knives. Good for the soul. Unless Col Mustard's on the other end :P

To ward off writers block, I keep on writing. If something isn't working out right, I erase it and start again. I'll take breaks here and there, just to refresh, but I don't quit until I've hit a certain word or page limit.

Seems to keep the writer's block away for me anyway, for others it is bound to be quite different. We all write differently, after all.