How do professional writers deal with The Block?

Writer’s block is an issue we’ve looked at a few times on this blog, and it’s always an interesting topic to return to, partly, I think, because writing never stops being difficult. Even if you’ve been writing your whole life, it’s still a challenge – and so it should be.

But that also means that The Block is always there, lurking, in the back of your mind. You could be having the most productive day ever and then, suddenly, you’re stuck. It’s unpredictable, and while there are plenty of things we can do to get over it and keep on writing even when we’re finding it as difficult as we ever have, it’s still an issue.

Luckily, it’s an issue common to all writers. You don’t have to call it writer’s block if you don’t want to (an ordinary day at the office, perhaps, or that which we shall not name), but we all experience a bit of difficulty from time to time. It’s always interesting to see how other people deal with it – and it’s also reassuring in a way, that even the most successful of writers have the occasional off day.

With this in mind, this video on the BBC Writersroom is well worth a watch. It features some well-known TV writers talking about how they deal with writer’s block, offering a few different insights and perhaps a little bit of comfort in the fact that when it comes to The Block, we are not alone.

The common theme seems to be that no matter how you deal with the issue, the important thing is to deal with it somehow. Giving up isn’t an option; we have to keep writing, whether we choose to deal with it now or later. We can get over whatever the problem is that we’re experiencing – how you do it is up to you, but don’t walk away. Like a couple of the writers on that video say, it’s easier to edit rubbish than it is to edit nothing.

How do you go about getting over writer’s block?