I Had to Overcome Writer's Block to Write This:

block (verb) to stop, hinder, impede, jam, frustrate
block (noun) obstruction, child's toy, street (as in "around the block"), building unit

Writer's Block. All writers have faced it. Indeed, anyone whose job involves creative effort has struggled with it. (Maybe it's a conceit to imagine that only creative people have to deal with this bugaboo; perhaps   we're unaware of Plumber's Block, Banker's Block, and Truck Driver's Block.) For some it's a sporadic and short-lived annoyance; for others it's a terrifying, career- and sanity-threatening fog.

To look at the number of books, websites, even clubs dedicated to overcoming writer's block is to conclude that the condition is epidemic. Some bromides counsel to "write through" it, others suggest taking a break. Different strokes for different chokes; you'll have to experiment to see what works for you. Years of battling this demon, admittedly one of my own creation, have afforded me some weapons that may be of help to others. I offer them with my best wishes and heartfelt condolences:

1. Leave it alone for a while. Work on something else, or take a short break from writing altogether. Take a walk or a swim, workout, take a bath, weed the garden. Get your blood and breath and chi moving.

2. Change your writing location or routine. Move to the kitchen, the yard, the park, the library. If you usually write in the morning, try writing at night.

3. Make a "sense map" of your surroundings: smells, textures, sounds, sights. Slow down and dig deep. Embrace the subtle. Track nuance. Pay attention.

4. Change the mechanics of your writing. If you usually use a computer, write by hand. Buy a fabulous fountain pen and some beautiful paper. Try talking into a tape recorder. Sing your sentences. Paint your story. Dance your story. Turn your story into a poem.

5. Try "cluster" writing. Write down one word or idea, perhaps a key phrase from the piece you're working on, circle it, then free associate, writing down phrases and words as fast as you can, connecting one idea to the next with lines. Fill the page. Let your imagination loose. Don't question or judge, just let it rip.

6. Seek inspiration and feedback from your friends, writing group, teachers, or family.

7. Read a book. Read some poetry. Read aloud.

8. Try writing personality profiles of people you know, or of characters from your work in progress.

9. Keep a day book or journal. You needn't make it a grand opus--just recording the weather, what you did that day, or current events can be enough to keep your writing muscle flexed and active until the next burst of creativity strikes.

10. Relax. It's only ink.