If You've Only Got One WIP, Writer's Block is Liable to Smack Your Head

The Oxford Dictionary describes WRITER'S BLOCK  as "the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing."

I've been there. Have you?

It's not pretty, folks.

I'm a pantser by nature. I have a mental visual of how I want the story to begin and how I want it to end. I might have a few hurtles in mind for the couple to get across. but mostly I create as I write. And sometimes I write myself into a corner. My characters aren't happy with me. They sulk or bother me in my sleep. I've even had a hero refuse to talk to me for weeks. I finally sat him down and asked him what his beef was. "You've named me Dex. I don't like it. I want the name Mason." Oh, for heaven's sake!!!  Yeah, they can be that picky and controlling.

How do I typically handle writer's block? I set the book aside and open another story file. I keep 3 or 4 stories active at once. I try to have an assortment of sub-genres in wait, so my mind gets a rest. A mental switch from a contemporary to a paranormal or romantic suspense. A single book to a series. I write a chapter and then return to my main book in hopes my subconscious has worked through the problem I'd created. For me, this is a 3 or 4 day break. Enough to recharge.

Make no doubt about it. I never, ever stop writing. I just shift gears. Leave Scotland for Philadelphia. Kilts for power suits. Protective witch for a man-shy reporter.

Instead of staring at a blank screen for hours, I've been happily adding word count to another story, something fresh and different. I don't allow writer's block to get me down. I freshen up with something totally different.

Kinda like being on a low-carb diet, loving the results until the pounds stop coming off. Then you change up your workout and indulge with a cupcake a day. Sure you'll get back to that diet, but for a few days you've avoided the stress of denying yourself something you crave. You undo the extra calories by working out harder and longer. In a totally different way, you're making progress.

If you write, how do you handle writer's block?