Goodreads asked Margaret Standafer:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Margaret Standafer Is there a writer out there who's never had to overcome writer's block? I doubt it. It seems no matter how well a manuscript is progressing, there always comes a time when I sit down to write and nothing happens. Is it frustrating? Yes. Do I let it bother me for too long? No. I just start writing. It doesn't matter what I write, I just need to write.

Recently, at a crucial point in the plot of my current novel, I simply could not get past a sticky point. It seemed no matter which way I tried to take the story, the words just wouldn't flow. So, I thought back to the days when my kids were young and I'd lay in bed with them at night and start telling them a story. I never had any idea where the story was going when I started, but somehow it always came together in the end. And that's what I did. I started writing a silly story that featured an enchanted mirror, a magic harp, and an endless forest. Somewhere in that story, I found the answer I'd been searching for in my novel. Once the creative juices started flowing, the ideas for my novel did, too.

My advice is just start writing. Write anything; the content isn't important. What's important is that by writing something, you're reminding yourself that you can write. It works for me, hopefully it will work for you, too.

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