Every author becomes stuck at one point or another. Not every time, not in every project, but sooner or later you’re going to be happily scribbling/typing away and then without any warning… nothing. Stuck. You’re suddenly at a loss for where to go, what to do, how to solve the problem you’ve created for your characters or your story.

I’m going to say something now that might not sit comfortably with a lot of you. Ready? Here it is:

There’s no such thing as “writer’s block.”

With the singular exception of depression, which is a very real state and something else entirely, what most people think of as writer’s block is actually your unconscious mind trying to communicate a very simple message. And when you flail against that block, it’s clear that you’re not getting that message.

Here’s what it is: you’re doing it wrong. See? I told you it was simple. Writer’s block is your unconscious saying you’re going down the wrong path, misusing your characters, mangling your plot. Something isn’t working and you need to stop trying to force it.

Knowing this is half the battle. The other half, the trickier part, is enlisting your unconscious mind’s assistance in resolving the problem area so you can move past it. Once you’ve learned how to do that — and that’s what this section of the book will be about — you’ll never have to deal with writer’s block again.