One of the things I love most is fiction. I love to read it and love to write it as well.

But occasionally writer's block hits, which is both incredibly annoying and inconvenient. It's rather like your characters decided to start behaving like this:

And as fun as good ol' Captain Jack is, that's simply unacceptable when you're trying to work on your novel.

Personally, I seem to get writer's block at the oddest of times. For example, I have had writer's block through basically all of Christmas break. This is actually a regular occurrence. I get writer's block every Christmas break and on various other occasions throughout the year.

I've concocted a few ways to deal with this and jumpstart my writing. So here are a few of my personal formulas for getting rid of writer's block.

WATCH SOMETHING THAT INSPIRES YOU

Now I understand that this could be any number of things. In my experience, every writer has at least one thing that inspires them to BE a writer. For me, it's the Lord of the Rings. Although, that's not just what I mean by "inspires you." You could also watch something that makes you want to write something of a similar style. For example, Star Trek if you're trying to awaken your sci-fi writing or maybe something like Little Boy if you're looking for inspiration involving WWII. I find that this is really helpful. I also find that I tend to start NEW stories when I do this. Not that that's a bad thing. Too many story ideas overwhelm some people, but juggling a lot of story ideas is just how my brain works. I do tend to find one drawback to this though, at least for myself. If I don't act immediately to work on whatever inspiration the show gave me, it wears off within the next day.

READ A GOOD BOOK

This has basically the same principle as the last one. It helps to get the creative juices flowing. And, once again, I tend to read whatever genre I'm trying to work on.

EXPERIMENT WITH A FEW WRITING PROMPTS

I must say, this is a favorite of mine. Writing prompts come in all types, whether dialog/scene/picture prompts. They can be easily found all over Pinterest especially. My advice would be to pick one and settle down to write a snippet (or a blurb as some people like to call it). Don't think about needing backstory, names for the characters, or anything else. Just write. Take whatever the prompt gives you and run with it. You can work out the details later if it ends up being something you're interested in. The basic purpose of this is just to get your creative juices flowing, even if you don't actually do anything more with the prompt. Maybe it'll get your brain working enough to actually work on whatever your WIP is. There's also another way these prompts could be used. If you find a scene or dialog prompt that could be used in your WIP, start writing up a scene with your existing characters. Again, even if it never makes it into the book, maybe it'll get your creative juices flowing again.

GIVE YOUR BRAIN A BREAK

I know this seems to contradict everything else I just said. However, sometimes, your brain really does just need a rest. Give it what it needs. Take some time to let your thoughts slow down. Watch a show that doesn't require much thought. Take a nap. Read a book you're very familiar with. Take a hot shower. DON'T try to force yourself to write unless inspiration strikes you. Then, after you've let your brain rest (which could be a day, a few days, or even a couple weeks), come back to your writing with fresh eyes. I usually use this one as a last resort, but believe me, if you actually let your brain relax, it does help.

These are just my personal formulas for curing writer's block. Getting rid of it tends words differently for different people. Either just one or a combination of these usually work for me.

I do have one parting piece of advice. Whatever you do, try not to stress over your writing and try to enjoy the methods of curing writer's block. Happy writing!