Goodreads asked Sally Altass:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Sally Altass I tend to read. A lot. I review the books I've read, and then I read some more.

Reading other people's words helps my own writers block, because I'm able to understand how a good (and bad) story works. How to build a world and tension. How to drop a twist that no one can see coming.

When I'm not reading, when I've got the dreaded writer's block, I world build. I work out my characters back stories. I build a picture of what they look like and who they are. I'll draft rules and regulations that my characters have to abide by. I'll draw maps, draft book covers. I'll still try to be as creative as possible, so that I'm still absorbed in the world I'm trying to write.

If none of those work, I'll take a step back. I'll watch TV, mainly detective programmes and comedy. I'll go for walks, go shopping, watch a movie. I'll give myself a deadline of a couple of weeks respite from my writing, and then get back to it, feeling refreshed. It's like taking a holiday - but whenever I need one, instead of whenever my boss says it's OK.

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