Goodreads asked Kawai Strong Washburn:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Kawai Strong Washburn If I'm hung up on a minor decision that's part of world-building--say, a character's name, or a detail of the setting--I'll use the "TK" shorthand that is common among editing, which stands for "To Come" (apparently a 'k' is more visually arresting than a 'c', which is why it gets used for line edit queries), i.e. "TK Protagonist Sister's Name".

In cases of dialogue, I'll write out what I want the dialogue to express, knowing that I can come back and turn that into more natural speech later, i.e. "Darnell, I'm angry with you because I'm scared of what you're becoming", rather than "You're not what I thought you were going to be" (or whatever).

For larger plot points, spending time outlining a scene, perhaps with a few different possibilities, and then asking "why?" can make a big difference.

In reality, I don't subscribe to the notion of writer's block. Sometimes the most productive time is time when you're not writing, as long as that's time in which you're actively thinking about what you're going to write, and doing so in a strategic, focused way. Asking "why" repeatedly can get things unlocked; reading a few pages from some of favorite books can help my brain develop a linguistic rhythm; etc etc etc. My time to write is limited, so I never waste it. Waste is an indulgence I can't afford.

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