Goodreads asked Catherine Wallace Hope:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Catherine Wallace Hope Writer's block is no fun! The tactic for defeating it depends on which kind it is. There is more than one! You can have the kind of writer's block you get when you're trying to reach for something you have no source for. Some sources for material are memory, imagination, and research. So if you can't remember ever going through anything similar to what you're trying to write about, you're going to need to combine imagination and research until the words begin to come together. You can also have a block based in fear of other people's reactions. But it can help to remember that readers love complex characters. The tactic here is to write what you have to write and be sure it's human and truthful and that it serves the story. Then let the words fall where they may. Editing comes later. Another type of writer's block is the kind you get when you're exhausted and discouraged and you cannot figure out how to keep going but you refuse to surrender. The answer to this one is Yes. Yes, you're tired. Yes, it seems so hard. Yes, you're right—you must never give up. And, yes, you will find a way.

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