Ten Rants: Ways to Defeat the Insidious, Pernicious, and Some-Other-Word-For-Evil-ious Writer’s Block
1. Defend against attack by arming yourself with writers’ advice books (Stephen King’s On Writing), helpful writing prompts (A parrot, an elephant, and a donkey named Bob are all waiting in a park…), paperbacks from your favorite authors (Why, oh why couldn’t I have been born Jennifer Crusie?), and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate because you’ll need it when the first three fail. I find Rocky Road ice cream also suffices. Just ask my hips.
2. Live and breathe the dictionary. Be the dictionary. A fantastic vocabulary can go a long way. (Just ignore my lovely intro at the top there.) Let words be your inspiration. They will show you the way. They are the light. They are the stuff dreams (and cliches) are made of.
3. Know your grammar. Yes, I know that your experience with Mr. Henderson way back in high school left you with a terrible eye twitch when pronouns, adverbial phrases, or dependent clauses are mentioned, but if words are the ammunition, then grammar is the machine gun. Learn to avoid improper use like ending a sentence with a preposition (yes, yes–like “of”), but just as important…
4. Don’t be too constrained by rules. Sometimes it’s better to break them, so when Writer’s Block rears its ugly, purple head (What? You don’t imagine your Writer’s Block as the One-Eyed, One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater?) you’re able to think outside the box when cornered. Maybe the machine gun seizes up. What then? My suggestion: Hit it with a rock. (Or a shoe, or maybe a really big stick. I’m not picky. Just think outside the norm. Heck, decide to give yourself powers over the cosmos and hit it with an asteroid. Of course, that’s just a really, really big rock…)
5. Which brings me to my next point: think big. Or, rather, think in all sizes. What’s big to an mouse isn’t necessarily big to an elephant, after all, but don’t be afraid to expand beyond your horizons. When it comes to that dark moment in your story, forget gray and hazy. Don’t be afraid to go for the inky, pitch black, can’t-see-your-hand kind of darkness. Ditto on the reverse. Think “What’s the worst/best that could happen” and then take it a step further. You can always rein the horse in later, so why not let it take the lead first and see where it takes you?
6. Try something new, and I’m not talking about a word-of-the-day. Try your hand at some new adventure. Take a metal-working class, go on a day-long hike, volunteer to watch your friend’s kids for the day and then actually get down in the sandbox and build that castle with them instead of just watching. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there’s so much more to this big, wide world than computers, chores, and chaos. Give your mind some new stimulus and set those synapses snapping! (Ha! How’s that for alliteration?)
7. Talk to people, and not just your own characters (though I do include them). Not only are you exposed to new ideas and different viewpoints, but you’re subconsciously picking up speech nuances, tones, and mannerisms. You’ll be surprised how this may come into play later, when you start to flesh out Johnny the Beta Hero and realize he’s starting to talk a little like that guy you met in line at the grocery store. Your mind aborbs stuff you’re not even aware of, so go ahead and chat it up now and then with the next friendly stranger.
8. Challenge what you already know. This is more than just learning something new, this is exploring why you think what you do. Read articles on an opposite viewpoint and really consider the other side. Define what you believe by what you don’t believe. Always, always, always keep an open mind. (Have I thrown in enough “always” you think? I’m awfully close-minded about open-mindedness. Does that make me a hypocrite? 
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9. Free-think write. You know, where you put pen to paper and just write with no intent, purpose, or reason? Sometimes words, thoughts, and ideas tend to get backed up, like debris in a river. Throwing your words into a stronger current could help clear up the clog and get you moving again. Not to mention, it’s a great way to air out any hidden insecurities that the Writer’s Block may be using against you.
10. Don’t be afraid to walk away. Remember, it’s the war that’s important, not the battles. Know when to stand and fight, and when to take a day or two to lick your wounds, repair your armor, and live to storm again.
