Four words no writer wants to say or hear - "I've got writer's block" - can send the shivers down a writer's spine. No one wants to be the one to say [or think] it. Writers hate the sentence because it means there's a train wreck coming. It's a devil that gained entrance to a writer's mind when s/he was distracted. It happens to some writers in the middle of typing; while trying to get out that next sentence or paragraph. Next thing s/he knows, the scenery outside a window is more fascinating than writing.

I've had it enough times to study how to get out from under: Hopefully these strategies will work for other writers as well.

Let panic go:

The moment those fingers stop typing, whether on typewriter or keyboard, panic does set in. "Oh no - now what? What if the writing never comes back?" Is a question that pops into numerous minds. After all - what if it doesn't? What if all the creativity with the words one loves does dry up. It's a huge amount of panic. It can roll furiously toward one, even as s/he tries to dodge it.

If this sounds like you, leave the computer for a while; do stretches, some yoga; listen to soothing music

Realize it's just a first draft:

Then there are the more subtle signs of block - like realizing the blockage occurs due to a writer's desire for perfection. It happens to many authors, who are unwilling to stop writing, but forget that they are only on their first drafts. First drafts are vessels for as many mistakes as can be made, without worry about perfection.

So a town in one's head no longer rings true, or whether a character has a moustache or not circles the writer's block drain, just keep plugging away: knowing mistakes can be made and then let go is very freeing. One knows s/he will come back in a second draft to fix it.

Realize it may be fatigue:

So many of these ways of getting un-plugged seem simplistic, but they really are. In fact, the next strategy is so easy, it's a wonder more writers don't realize it one their own. Sometimes, even as a writer types away, getting him/her no where; it's possible that, like chasing small kids all day, fatigue has set in. Writing becomes draining, and the mind shuts down.

Get away from the writing for a while. Take a nap, walk, or listen to music: whatever recharges your mind as well as energy and focus.

All those excuses are common:

To all writers who get blocked, the excuses of getting coffee, walking the dog, doing long avoided housework, and any other excuses, are common. At the

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