It comes up time and time again, the question of writers’ block, mostly from people who aren’t writers. That makes sense. I’m not a builder, so I’d ask a builder, ‘Isn’t that job overwhelming when you first start it?’

I’m not a politician. ‘Don’t you wake up sometimes and think, ‘How on earth am I going to make things better?’

I’m not a customer services assistant. ‘How will you cope with all those queues and the frustrated customers?’

The list could go on. I’m sure it does. But from my perspective, I’ve never had writers’ block. I might get it one day. If I do, I’ll cope.

But there are plenty of other things I get instead.

Let’s make all that the substance of this blog post.

So, I don’t get writers’ block. I write in three genres, ‘golden’ women’s fiction, dual timelines and cozy crime. I don’t ever think, what shall I write about this time? Instead, I think, right, that’s my first idea. Now let me shelf it for a day or two and see if I can make it better.

Invariably I do. I come up with a better place, a character or two, jeopardy, obstacles, a desired outcome, a hypothetical chart of the journey of the characters’ progress. Then I start writing.

Touch wood, I’ve never had a real block. From character and location and a desire for adventure comes a story. From a brief pause for thought and inspiration come better ideas.

Research helps too. Talking to people, listening. Observing. Going to places, looking at things. Thinking. Reading. Online research, factual books, meeting experts. It all makes a great difference and prevents writers’ block.

If course, and I’m sure all writers understand this: there are bigger problems than writers’ block. Pitfalls I try to avoid. Such as the following three problems.

Problem number one: The impossible deadline. Fearing a looming deadline is not constructive. Panic is counterproductive. Anything that constricts the creative flow can’t help. Think of a corset. You can’t move. You can’t breathe. It’s not natural.

So, I always write ahead of deadline. I don’t like the idea that I’m being given a narrow time frame. Of course there has to be a delivery day, but I have natural impetus. Once I start writing I keep going. Stopping is the problem – pausing for food, for fun, for sleep. I know other writers are like this. There’s one brilliant writer who stays in her pyjamas in bed for five weeks and writes – she comes up with bestseller after bestseller. I get that energy, I really do. We write because there’s a story in our hearts and our brains and our arteries, not because we have to be finished by next Tuesday.

I know some writers can’t get started. Or, when they do, they can’t keep going. That’s a real barrier to writing a novel. If you ask me to, I can give tips on that.

Problem number two: The soggy middle. It may happen in a novel, around 30,000 words. Earlier. Or later. Or several times through the writing process. It’s the constant thought that goes, ‘Is this novel going in the right direction?’ Is it OK? Or is it boring?’ (This is not the same as problem number three.) You deal with this one by pausing, reading it through and walking away. You’ll know for how long. Ten minutes. Ten days. Then – if you’re a planner, check your plans. Adjust them. If you’re a pantser, go with your instinct. You need to know yourself as a writer. The questions you need to ask yourself are:

• Is there enough jeopardy?
• Am I fulfilling the promise to the reader I made on page one? If you didn’t make one, think about making one. What story are you telling, to whom?
• Is the pace fast enough? Is the location right?
• Is the character likeable/ doing their job in terms of what the novel promises? Do they have clear goals, flaws, and growth? Are the supporting ones doing the same?
• Is the style interesting or gripping? Does the narrative voice work?
• Can you crank up the tension? The internal or external conflict? The emotional core?
• Are there too many words? Scenes or chapters that aren’t doing any work or serving the impetus of the novel?

You’ll go back to your work with ideas and you’ll feel focused.

Take it from there.

Problem number three: Thinking “This novel is the worst thing I ever wrote.” I have heard that all writers get this at some point during the writing process. That nagging voice caused by natural self-doubt and the desire to write something really good. Seventy or ninety thousand words is a lot and yes, at the draft stage, some of them won’t be your best. But unless you really think the whole novel’s going nowhere, my suggestion is to keep going. Get your head down, play good music, keep writing. Go to the list above and remind yourself to keep the plot strong and sharp and fresh, but don’t despair. A good edit or two later will solve most of your problems.

Of course, if you’re jaded, take a break. Or read a bit of it back,aloud, at random. I always find that reading it again makes me think, ‘Ok, this isn’t as anywhere near as bad as I thought.’ That negative voice in our heads can do a lot of damage, but it’s there to keep us critical. Get finished. Edit later. Cut anything that needs cutting – and be harsh. Keep your writing smart. The rule is – does this word/ phrase/ paragraph/ chapter bring anything to the plot? If not, it goes. Then – can I say it better? More succinctly? More meaningfully or emotionally or evocatively? Then change it.

Later, you’ll have editors who aren’t you. Oh, thank goodness for more sets of sharp eyes and critical brains and experienced heads. And their supportive kindness.

And bear in mind that an editor is almost always right. It may feel at times like your teacher is throwing red ink over your homework, but that’s not the case at all.

The point of it all is to make the novel the very best you can. As a team. So don’t hang on to something that doesn’t matter. Go with the flow.

We’ve come a long way from writers’ block. No, I don’t suffer from that. But there are plenty of other things we have to deal with as writers. And that’s before the book is published. But we can do it. It’s normal. The world of work is full of small ups and downs, and that includes being a writer. Or a builder, or a politician, or a customer services assistant.

Once the novel’s out there, we still need to stay strong. There will be unkindness. And trolls. And impostor syndrome. And so many lovely kind people. But that’s the stuff of another blog post.

So here’s my writer’s motto. Believe. Focus. Move forward.

If I can do it, then so can you. Absolutely.