by Michy Lynn

Created on: September 22, 2007

Are you a writer? Maybe you're not a writer, but part of your job requires you to write... something, anything, web copy, correspondence, emails, newsletters... maybe you are not a writer but use article writing as a marketing and promotional tool... any way it goes, if you write anything as part of your job, the time may come when you find yourself sitting in front of the computer screen, hands poised over the keys, the thoughts all in your mind, but the words just won't flow from your brain through your fingers to actually come out the other side of the screen.

Now what?

I am a writer. I'm also an editor. For me, it's a bit easier, because I do both for a living, and unless I'm up against a writing deadline, I can simply put the writing aside and move over to an editing project and take my mind off of the writing. Truth is, writer's block isn't much of an issue for me anymore. If the idea is in my head, I can usually write about it, but even I have my moments when the idea just won't flow.

Since I administer a writer's forum on the internet, I have had the chance to talk to many writers and have discovered that writer's block is often the single most irritating problem among writers of any caliber. So I decided to do some research and put together this list for people who write.

Ten effective ways to combat writer's block:

1. Walk away from the keyboard. I know you may think that this is counter productive, but it can often work wonders. You see, the brain never stops processing information. Even when you are not actively thinking about something, your brain continues to work on the problem. Walk away from the keyboard and take a short break, grab yourself a cup of coffee or a soda, take a bathroom break, or do some other activity that doesn't require you to think about your writing for several minutes. Often, you'll find that when you come back and sit down to write again, your brain has solved your writer's block on its own.

2. When taking a break doesn't work, and if you have the time, put the writing aside and work on something else you need to finish that is not writing related. This works about the same as the suggestion above, but takes it a bit further by actually redirecting your thoughts to another activity. Later, you can come back to your writing and see if the thoughts flow a bit better.

3. Read something. If you need to write about something in particular, read something that pertains to what you want to write about. Reading what others have said might

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