Goodreads asked R. Dean Johnson:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

R. Dean Johnson Reading always helps. And, I find writing personal essays a great way to deal with writer's block because you already know the plot, setting, and characters. So, you tell a story you already know but, just like writing good fiction, you try to tell that story in an engaging way--voice, imagery, structure, and so on. Sometimes the essays amount to little in terms of publishing, but they keep my writing skills sharp and I regain momentum in my fiction writing. Quite often, I regain the momentum and have a publishable essay on my hands.

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