Goodreads asked Ritu Kaushal:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Ritu Kaushal I think writer's block is a big term that you have to unpack for yourself. It's a generalized term but the reasons why you stop writing can be manifold.

Sometimes, writer's block is about fear. Not all of us have been encouraged to express our voice, and if expressing your voice has caused you to "feel pain " in some way in the past, maybe by having something you said dismissed, discounted, or ridiculed, then saying your truth (to whatever degree) will bring up fear for you. It has definitely been one of my "blocks." Then, we have to learn to hold ourselves with compassion.

Sometimes, writer's block is just about not knowing exactly what to do next. I especially felt this while writing my first book. The thing is, when you are writing your first book, you are not "just writing the book," you are also "teaching yourself to write a book." So, you are learning the skills to do draft after draft, discard some of the material you might have started with, make the joins between chapters, and so on. It's a technical process as well as a process of faith and surrender, and the first time you do it, you don't have a map for it. You are learning about yourself and your creativity at each and every point.

One thing I have learned is to do something else when I feel blocked. Sometimes, "blocked" is just exhausted. Art is what I have turned to while writing The Empath's Journey. When I have emptied out all the words I have or pulled too much from one aspect of myself, then moving to the world of images and replenishing my well, as Julia Cameron says, has helped me immensely. But you have to let yourself do this and trust that the words will come back (which I sometimes didn't do). Whenever I did do this, the whole writing process felt much smoother.

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