Dropping an "A-Bomb" on Writer's Block

I recently had occasion to do some…errr…research on writer's block. Yeah, research. That's what I was doing. Like a scientist.

I found lots of great ideas to get unstuck and wrote the best ones on index cards and tossed them in my desk drawer. Now, when I really need to nuke the hell out of my block, I reach into the drawer and pull out a random card. So far so good with this little trick so I thought I would share.

■Do something important that's very easy – Is there a small part of your project you could finish quickly that would move things forward?

■Try freewriting – Sit down and write anything for an arbitrary period of time—say, 10 minutes to start. Don't stop, no matter what. Keep writing, even if you know what you're typing is gibberish, full of misspellings, and grammatically psychopathic. Get your hand moving and your brain will think it's writing. Which it is.

■Take a walk – Get out of your writing brain for 10 minutes. Think about rainbows and unicorns. Breathe.

■Take a shower; change clothes – Give yourself a truly clean start.

■Write from a persona – Lend your voice to a writing personality who isn't you. Doesn't have to be a pirate or anything (although I do love a good pirate) — just try seeing your topic from someone else's perspective, style, and interest.

■Talk to Pinhead – I have a poster of Pinhead on my wall – you know, the charming chap from Clive Barker's Hellraiser. Sometimes when I get stuck I find it helpful to talk to him about what I'm trying to say.

■Get away from the computer; Write someplace new – If you've been staring at the screen and nothing is happening, walk away. Shut down the computer. Take one pen and one notebook, and go somewhere new.

■Quit beating yourself up – You can't create when you feel ass-whipped. Stop visualizing catastrophes, and focus on positive outcomes.

■Listen to new music – Try something instrumental and rhythmic that you've never heard before. Put it on repeat, then stop fiddling with iTunes until your draft is done.

■Write crap – Accept that your first draft will suck, and just go with it. Finish something.

■Unplug the router – The damn internet isn't helping you right now. Turn off the web and close every application you don't need. Consider creating a new user account on your computer with none of your familiar apps or configurations.

■Write the middle – Stop whining over a perfect lead, and write the next part or the part after that. Write your favorite part. Write the cover letter or email you'll send when it's done.

■Do one chore – Sweep the floor or take out the recycling. Try something lightly physical to remind you that you know how to do things.

■Make a pointless rule – You can't end sentences with words that begin with a vowel. Or you can't have more than one word over eight letters in any paragraph. Limits create focus and change your perspective.

■Work on the title – Quickly make up five distinctly different titles. Meditate on them. What bugs you about the one you like least?

■Write five words – Literally. Put five completley random words on a piece of paper. Write five more words. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page.

Now that you know my secret to busting through writer's block I'd love to hear yours.