When I Can't Write

This month's round robin topic is 'When you are stumped on moving a plot line forward, what do you do to reinvigorate your imagination?'

My biggest problem with not writing a on a particular work in progress is not writer's block but not having enough time to write fiction. I never worry about times when I cannot move a fiction story forward. I've plenty of ideas, most of them written down with notions of what I'd like the story to be about. Sometimes I just go to another idea or another story and work on that. Eventually the answer for a put-aside work comes to me and reinvigorates my imagination and efforts.

The questions is why can't I move a story forward? Mostly because I'm not sure where to take it, or I consider it garbage and wonder how to change it. Any number of reasons can arise to cause me to reconsider how a story is progressing. 

I have one usual way of handling situations when my thoughts have stalled, my progress lies in limbo, and I want keep going with this particular story because it is haunting my mind—I take a walk. Another useful thing I discovered in my classes (mentioned in previous blog post) was one of my peer students talked about how any right-left body movement relieves stress. Which explains a lot of how my taking walks helps me think, one step at a time on opposite sides of my body makes my mind work. Usually I return with an idea for change or a way to go forward.
Check these other authors' viewpoints on this topic by following the links listed below:
Diane Bator 
A.J. Maguire  
Anne de Gruchy 
Skye Taylor 
Victoria Chatham 
Marie Laval  
Judith Copek 
Dr. Bob Rich 
Helena Fairfax 
Fiona McGier 
Heather Haven 
Beverley Bateman