Goodreads asked Paul J. Fleming:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Paul J. Fleming I walk away and ignore the story for a while.
Maybe turn my attention to another one I am writing, or maybe just take time to do something radical, like get out of the chair and go outside....

Thing is I tend to find that the story unfolds as I type and if I hit a block, then I leave it be for the time being and later on, it just unravels once more and I set about continuing the tale.

I've sat there before now and tried to work out x situation and y problem to continue, but they seemed so out of character and forced I just scrapped them and walked away. Took a couple of days but when I sat down once more, a couple of chapters flowed out and that was that.

Sometimes it helps to rethink how you ended up where you have been blocked. Maybe your story has followed an avenue which has naturally left no way out...... I simply suggest back tracking slightly and evaluating the path your characters have trodden. Is there an alternative? Sometimes it helps and you wonder why you hadn't used the alternative before!!

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