Goodreads asked Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff That depends on where in the writing process I am. When I start a new novel, I think about roller coasters. Is the best start for this book a quick 200 foot drop or a slow ramp up to an unexpected loop? Where are the big "events", what type of event are they? In a book, that might mean a big reveal about a character or plot element, or it might be a big physical scene with danger or even battle, or it might be a piece of dialogue that sends the plot in a new direction.

When I have the big pieces in place, then I can "lay the track" and start writing the story. For me, having a good synopsis of where I want to go that's not too specific keeps me moving along. As I go, I let the characters and the rules of the universe they live in drive the plot. In practical terms, that means as I end one scene I jot down where I need to go next and as I begin to write a new scene, I keep that direction in the back of my mind. It's sort of a literary GPS system that I've worked hard to develop over the years. It keeps me from getting writer's block most of the time.

However, in those times when I just can't see where I'm going, it's often because I've derailed myself by not following my own GPS (Global Plot Sense?). The story stops feeling "right". So, I back up to the last place I felt like I knew where I was going and work forward again.

I've found it also helps to have a very good grasp of characters and plot elements—the foundation of the story. If you know who your characters are and where they've been, what they want, and what they fear, who they love and hate and why and how the universe works, then a lot of the story will just write itself.

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