Tachyon: The SciFi Lovers Group. Forum Writers block...

Let me know what you do when you have a story you are working on and just can't seem to get your thoughts onto the paper.

What I do FIRST?  Have a small anxiety attack and worry that I'll never be able to write anything worthwhile - EVER.  Then I try a few things that sometimes help me write:  I read over what I've already written.  I pretend to have conversations with various characters in the story (as myself or as one of the other characters).  I work on a different-but-related story.  I post replies to forum questions in which I blather for several paragraphs when a single sentence would probably serve but not be nearly as informative, because that gets my mind in a writing mood.  I try to imagine the scene that I'm working on; a combination of visual and kinesthetic "imagining" works best for me.  Sometimes I have to leave the story alone for a while, go feed my brain and relax, and come back to it later.

I usually have a few story ideas in the hopper. When I hit a wall on one, I will switch gears and work on something completely different. To that end, I have several manuscripts in the 10,000 to 20,000 word range sitting in my hard drive. However, once I've worked my mind into a different idea, I find it easier to go back to my previously blocked work.