Goodreads asked Justin Newland:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Justin Newland It's a question of re-linking to the sense of the novel and the characters. One way that works for me is to delve into the backstory of the novel, by talking to the characters, drawing pictures of what they look like, drawing plans of the town or city or room the features (helps to envisage the narrative better). I also research different aspects of the plot (I tend to write historical fiction, so there's always more research to be done). The imagination is the author's muse, and, like a muscle, needs the right kind or regular exercise and rest. Sometimes I'll try and conjure all aspects of the problem, where I'm stuck in the plot or with the characters, and - as Stephen King so aptly puts it - let the 'boys in the basement' sort it out. Imagination is a semi-conscious process, so the help of the unconscious is crucial to coming up with off-the-wall solutions.

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