Goodreads asked Doug Wilhelm:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Doug Wilhelm Middle schoolers ask me about this all the time! For me, at least, the key is to understand that writing is always a process. The scary time, when people get stuck or blocked, is right before you start -- and the way through that is to give yourself permission to write badly. Tell yourself, "I'll just write SOMEthing -- I can change or fix it up (or throw it out) later." Once you start, you're okay. And because it really IS a process, what defeats people is trying to shortcut that -- to make their first draft something great or perfect. Putting too much tension on your first draft stops you from trying things; to let yourself be creative, to flow with it, you have to give yourself room and permission to make mistakes. Try to see your draft as a sketch, a beginning, not a judgment on you. Take some pressure off! Just start, and you'll be okay.

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