Aghh! The infamous curse of writer’s block…!

Over the past weeks I've rewritten the opening chapters for my next book at least five times, on each occasion getting to some three or four thousand words before deciding the whole thing was just not working for me!!

So here I am, wallowing in a mess of doubt, distraction and disinterest. Where is the energy with which I dashed off my previous novels and novella’s? What happened to throwing back the duvet at three in the morning to get in front of my computer and try out the ideas keeping me awake? I’m still up between six and seven each day, but instead of creating I’m checking emails and social media and stats, and ploughing through articles on new and innovative ways of marketing – which rather sadly turn out to be neither.
 
Looking for solutions I’ve read up how others cope with this affliction. One piece of advice seems fairly doable; day one, write a sentence. Any sentence. Then write another. Then following day, write a paragraph. The next a page, and so on. Sounds easy? Believe me, it’s not! Worse, I’m over-critiquing even these attempts. Others recommend breaking away from writing altogether. Do something else. Then, feeling fresh and relaxed, come back to it with renewed vigour. But to me that’s wasting time. I should be able to conquer this.
 
Read more, is yet another suggestion. This I can do, though the Paulo Coelho I picked up and started quite avidly began dragging halfway through. So changing tack, I've dived into a gritty Chris Ryan instead.

All I need is that little spark...!