Writer's Block is a phenomenon most writers have faced at least once. It occurs when the mind simply goes blank and the writer can't think of a single word to put on the page or type into the computer. It is frustrating, and time consuming. The worst time to be faced with writer's block is when the writer is up against a deadline. There are ways to get past it, however. The first thing a writer needs to do is acknowledge that he or she is blocked. This will free up the writer to take steps to unblock his or her mind. Not acknowledging will make the writer even more frustrated and he or she will continue to spin wheels instead of getting down to work.

Get Away From the Computer
If you find yourself blocked take your hands off the keyboard and stand up, Stretch your arms, back, and neck. Walk around the room or even out of the office. Take a notebook and pencil with you. Clear your mind, think of nothing for a few minutes. Now start to slowly bring in thoughts that might be related to the writing project, but do not need to be. Just start thinking about something - plan your evening menu in your head, review the steps you took to get where you are in the project. Just random thoughts, but be aware of nuggets of thought that might appear that could help you in the writing project. Start jotting these nuggets down so you can come back to them later.

Jog your Memory
Sometimes it takes a bit more to get those creative writing juices flowing. Try looking through a magazine or newspaper. Clean out a shelf in the garage, paying attention to items you touch or pick up. Go visit a second hand or antique store. What in there is familiar to you? Is there a story there? Jot down your thoughts or ideas. Look at colors and textures around you. What is the weather doing? Can you use these things in the story you are working on?

Brainstorm
This is an old trick, but it works. Start writing down random words. Make them into sentences, Keep writing, no matter how silly or irrelevant it seems. You may find yourself putting together ideas and thoughts that actually make sense to your writing. Keep going untl you have broken through and are ready to start working again on the original piece. Do not throw away the page you were brainstorming on -- there are other ideas right there, waiting for you to discover them.

Use a Writing Prompt
This is my favorite one. I often write flash fiction (quick, 500 words or less fiction done in a specified time period). Imagine being told you have one hour to write no more than 500 words on any topic you want. The first few minutes could be in spinning your wheels when you should be writing. This is were a prompt comes in handy. A prompt is a few rords or sentences telling you what you are to write about. Here is an example of a prompt for a flash fiction contest I once entered: Old age and paranoia. I had to write no more than 500 words in one hour. Here is the story I wrote: (it is 496 words and appears originally in my blog. It is my original story).

Visiting Granny

Her veined and age splotched hands were barely distinguishable from the faded coverlet as she nervously picked at loose threads. Wisps of yellow-grey hair flew about her wrinkled face, her eyes darting from the window to the door as if she expected someone, or something to enter either opening. She gasped and jerked as a tiny sound, like pebbles on the screen, came from the window. The stained light green cotton bed jacket slid off her bony shoulders with the movement. Whatever made the sound was gone now, but she still stared fearfully at the window. It was growing dark outside and she became visibly more anxious as the light faded. She sighed, lips flapping over empty gums while her teeth rested in a glass of murky water on the bedside table. Her surprisingly bright blue eyes closed and she thought, “I’m afraid to sleep, afraid not to sleep.”

In the hall outside the room, Alice wondered if granny would even know her if she went in. Ever since she came to this place, granny was getting really creepy and now that Alice had her driver’s license her mom sent her every week instead of coming herself. It wasn’t fair. She sighed heavily, pushing slowly on the door, hoping granny would be asleep.

Dusk was quickly giving way to darkness as the night crept closer to granny’s window. She stirred restlessly in almost -sleep as she tried to remember what she was afraid of. The door moved slightly inward, fingers with green polish on the tips wrapped around the edge. Granny dragged herself awake and shrank back into the bed, staring at the door as shadowed eyes under blue and orange hair spikes peered from above the fingers. She thought she saw a flash of something, anger? defiance? in those eyes, then they were just Alice’s eyes, sad and a bit resentful as she pushed the door wide and strode into the room. “Hi, Granny.”

“Alice, what are you doing here? Where is your mother? I thought you mother was coming.”

“Uh, Mom said she was busy and asked me to come.” Alice’s eyes skittered around the room, finally lighting on the dark window. She walked over to it and started to pull the yellowed curtain aside.

“No! Don’t open it!” Granny was pushing herself down into the mattress, trying to get as far from the window as possible.

“What?” Alice turned to her grandmother, quickly dropping the curtain back into place, but not quick enough. Granny thought she saw something in the window before the curtain dropped. Something that looked shiny-red or slimy-red or maybe just red. Anyhow, whatever she thought she saw was enough to startle a soundless scream from her throat.

Disgusted, Alice flipped the curtain open again, watching granny, her back to the window. “See? Nothing there, you crazy old …” The end of her sentence was swallowed up when the window exploded in a shower of silvery glass.

And Finally, read other writing
When you read other writing, whether or not it relates to what you are trying to do, you will be amazed at the ideas that come to mind. Always keep a pencil and paper handy when you are reading just to keep track of all those ideas. Now admit it, didn't you think of a few things you could write while you were reading about Granny? Taking your mind off what you are working on will give you all kinds of ideas to go back to and write about!