"Writer's Block?!"

"Writer's block."  I put it in quotes because for me the term doesn't deserve much respect, and neither should it for you.

Nevertheless, I do stall out sometimes.  It happened recently.  I just wrote right up to the edge of a cliff.  I teetered over the edge and swayed back.  No where to go in spite of the fact that what I had on the page so far seemed pretty good ~ if I do say so.

I was working on a scene for the memoir I'm writing about my remarkable brother, Glenn.  It rocked along at a good clip, as he opened a business, made wads of cash, and ran from a tornado.  Then this:

The storm seemed to have made a decision.  It lifted its sucking feet and releasing its hold on Tulsa, it slipped eastward, rumbling, tossing threats back over its shoulder with lightning flashing on its underside. 

The afternoon sun lit its trailing edge with magic glowing gold.  As if  pulling giant tarp west to east overhead, the storm clouds left clear blue sky in their wake.  People emerged from their basements and turned their faces upward, smiling at God, filling theirs lung with electrostatically cleansed air. 

Safe for the moment at least, Glenn’s mind turned to the storm that lay ahead.  Karen.

My plan from there was to write about Karen, his wife, as background for the stunning finale to that era of his life.  Then I just turned to stone. 
No need to describe the sensation in too much detail because writers know it intimately and superstition suggests writing about it could bring it on!
Here I urge you to adopt a bull-headed attitude and refuse to surrender.  Instead, try pulling one or more of these "thumbs" out of the dyke:

• Look at and write about a related picture.  I have a picture of Glenn and Karen's wedding in the hippie days on a friend's front lawn.  But old yearbooks pics or snapshots can trigger a memory that will get you into the language and emotion you need.
• Take a nap.  Take a walk.  Take a break.  Play loud music and sing along.  Step onto the porch and breathe real air.  Talk to your cat.  Just be sure to set a timer and don't stay gone too long! 
• When you return to the keyboard, start writing with one of the senses.  What did it smell like in the room where your scene will take place?   
• Read your stuff out loud, from the top.  This can create momentum.  Keep going.

Most important of all ~ Never Give Up!  Never Surrender!

Because if you give in to "writer's block," you'll wind up with "that book" you always meant to write.

Keep writing, Dream Writers!