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Breaking out of the block doesn't have to be a mind-boggling challenge, though. Explore the causes and the cure and you'll be writing again in no time.

Common Causes

• Unrealistic Goals
  If you've decided that you're going to write from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every single day - no matter what - then you're probably pushing yourself too hard.
  
  Your writing will become dull and drab. The natural flow you once knew will temporarily escape to Writer's Block Island with the rest of your writing talents.
  
  
• Stress!
  We all know how stress can affect your mood. But stress can also affect your writing.
  
  For instance, say all you wanted to do was come home from work and write until bedtime. Your boss makes you stay late. Your supper was a half-cooked hamburger and cold fries from a local fast food restaurant. Your dog wants to go out. And all you want to do is crawl in bed and forget the entire day.
  
  As much as we try to carry a stiff upper lip, we're still human. External factors can affect our mood and ultimately affect our writing. Our focus shifts to all the bad things that happened in our day and writing becomes the last thing we want to do.
  
  
• Neglecting Our Writing
  Sometimes Writer's Block comes from not writing! Writing every day is essential to keeping those creative juices flowing.
  
  You don't have to make an impossible deal with yourself to write 100 pages of your manuscript in one sitting. Taking as little as 10 minutes a day helps keep you writing and words will flow from your mind much easier.
  
  
• Perfectionism
  The perfect paragraph, word after word, is a carefully constructed piece of art. But hanging yourself up on creating that perfect paragraph will win you an all-expense paid trip to Writer's Block Island.
  
  If you run into this problem, give yourself and your writing a cooling off period. After a couple of days, re-visit your work and see where or even if it needs improvement. Your mind will be fresh and clear, giving you a whole new perspective on your own writing.
  
  
• Research-Related
  A lot of writers don't realize how research can even be a hangup. Maybe you can't finish your crime novel because you don't know how police would handle a certain situation in reality.
  
  Sometimes the answer isn't so obvious and we try to write our way around it. All we really need to do is a little more research.