Goodreads asked Rachael Arsenault:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Rachael Arsenault This is a bit of a complicated issue. I understand when other writers say that writer's block is something you just have to push through and you can't write only when you feel inspired - there's definitely truth in that. Sometimes you need to just write garbage and worry about fixing it later.

But my struggle with writer's block is compounded by my struggle with mental illness. It makes it hard to self-motivate, feel inspired, or even just focus long enough to get words down. I think the biggest lesson I've learned during my years of writing and dealing with this particular difficulty is that you need to forgive yourself. A big part of that is accepting that some days I'm just not going to be productive, or that my productivity isn't always going to look the same. A good day might mean writing 2000 words; a bad day might mean writing 200 words. It's all progress and that's all I can ask of myself.

Also, I've found that stepping away from the project I'm feeling blocked on can be helpful. This doesn't necessarily mean I have a bunch of major projects going on at once, but rather that I have one main project and then a couple just-for-fun/free-writing stories on the go and the odd short story here and there. Sometimes taking a break from my main focus to go play around somewhere else is all I need to kick start my brain into working again.

Alsoalso: I've recently discovered the magic of outlining. I've always been more of a pantser than a planner, so my outlines aren't the most detailed or rigid, but just having a general idea of what happens next can be a huge help when I feel stuck. I go back, look at what I had outlined as my intent for the direction of the story, and sometimes that's enough to make me go, "Oh yeah! Right! That's where I was going with this."

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