A few months ago, I started writing an article for my newsletter, Words That Work. I knew what I wanted to write about, I understood my audience, I had completed the research and I had organized my ideas. But the words just wouldn't flow. I had one false start after another and grew more and more frustrated as time slipped away. I knew that the article was going no where and that I really needed to do something different to unjam my thoughts, but I was too stubborn to give up. And so I continued writing and hitting the delete button, wasting way too much time. This was writer's block at its finest. Finally, in total frustration, I went to find something to eat, anything to get away from my laptop. Within 10 minutes, the opening paragraph had formed in my head.  When I returned to my office, I was able to complete a draft of the article in about 20 minutes.

Everyone can fall prey to writer's block at some point or another. Generally, writer's block happens when a person tries to start writing before he or she is ready. Writing is a thought process consisting of six steps. It's not until the fifth step that you should actually start writing. If you try to skip a step to save time, you often find yourself stuck.

If you have completed the first four steps in the writing process — understand your assignment, brainstorm, research and organize your thoughts —  and you are still stuck, try these tactics to deal with writer's block.

• Take a break. Get away from your writing, even if it is only for a few minutes. A quick break from the keyboard can go a long way.
• Develop a summary sentence. Forget about all the details and cut to the chase. Answer the question, "What am I trying to say?" If you can't summarize what you want to say, spend more time organizing your thoughts before you start writing.
• Play with the words. If you have had a few false starts, type a list of key words then start stringing them together. Don't worry if your sentences make sense. Just play with the words. Before long, you will have a good opening sentence if you are ready to write.
• Give yourself a deadline. Some of my best writing is done when I am facing a deadline, either real or self imposed. Not only will this help you break through writer's block, it also will teach you to write more quickly.
• Start in the middle. If you find that you can't write the first paragraph, try writing a different section first. Successfully writing one section or paragraph will often help you get unstuck.

©2010. Joan B. Marcus Communications LLC