Beating Writer's Block

I know, I know. How many times have you seen a post about writer's block? How many times have you scrolled through a list of writing prompts; gone for a walk to clear your head; sat at your desk, hands poised to type yet unable to think of a single. interesting. thing to write?
I won't say that my methods are guaranteed to work, but I've had some success: hopefully you will, too.

Workshopping

There's no point denying it. Somewhere on your computer, or in your email inbox, there is a document. You know the one I mean. Your writer friend sent it to you ages ago for feedback but somehow you never got around to it. So, while you're not too busy with your own projects, give it a really thorough read and some careful commentary, to make up for that fact that you've kept them waiting for weeks. Some part of their work might even inspire your own muse.

Adaptation

Something I've been loving right now is adapting some of my favourite books into scripts. There's no pressure, because it's purely for me, but it's a lot of fun to think about how I'd like my favourite stories to come to life. This is an ideal block-beater, because someone else has already done the hard work of coming up with the plot; all you have to do is tweak the format a little.

Talk it Out

Sometimes writer's block is your subconscious telling you that something just isn't working. In these cases, you can sit down with pen and paper and go through every detail of your plot to find the issue - or you can get together with a trusted friend and give them the blow-by-blow. You'll find that they ask questions that never even occurred to you, and might offer solutions you'd never think of. I'd also add that it's good to do this somewhere other than your designated writing spot: a change of scenery can help both you and your friend look at the work with fresh eyes and provide inspiration.

Get Your Facts Straight

We all know the pitfalls of research. You're busily writing away, then BAM: a fact you're not entirely certain of crops up. Of course you pause your writing to Google it...and ten minutes later you're following a rabbit-warren of Wikipedia links, work forgotten.
But what if you saved up all your research for a time when you've got writer's block? Simply stick a reminder in the pertinent point of your work and come back to it later. Then, when you truly feel out of inspiration and words, you can get on with researching and discovering curious facts, content in the knowledge that you're being productive in some way.

Just Do It!

And now for the piece of advice you've probably seen a billion times - but have you ever really done it? Set a timer for five minutes, or give yourself a word count goal of, say, 300 words. By the time the five minutes is up, or you've reached your goal, you may find that you've gotten some inspiration. And if not, you still wrote 300 words, which is 300 more than you might have otherwise.