Sort of along the lines of your third piece of advice, I go to the Getty Museum. The clear air coupled with fine art ranging from illuminated manuscripts to modern photography is great for recharging my batteries. Just spending time looking at paintings -- at the stories the artists convey in a single canvas -- will spark off ideas.

Kind of a random story, with a little bit of luck, but-- Work for free on a movie/tv/short/commercial set. And I mean really work. The 14 hour days. For free. Show them how bad you want it... It really opened up my eyes as to why am I not writing? I can sit on my couch and eat cheetos and if the stars align you can tell yourself that you will never have to do that again. And you might meet some people, that know some people that can get you inside the towering cinderblock walls of hollywood with an entry level gig, because people who have been there actually really want to help you, but you have to be willing to put it all on the line.

I give my right-brain a break and do something left-brained, like organize notes, analyze the spec market, go out to a networking even -- you know, the kinds of things that make you still feel "in the game" yet you aren't beating yourself up for not being creative enough. Everything needs a breather every now and again, including creativity.

At it's core, this question really is, "How do I be happy?" Or satisfied. Or at peace with my creativity.

Take your pick.

That's a difficult thing to answer. It's the human freaking condition.

Explore that.

I've never done this, but some writers will WRITE about not being able to write. Look at Kaufman's Adaptation.

I try to focus on a new project or a new direction. Sometimes I'll write something that's more violent or aggressive, just to get the frustration out.

When I can't screenwrite for the life of me, I may work on live performance stuff, my comedy blog, or songwriting. Rarely is my creativity fully stifled, one part or another is usually available.
Screenwriting just requires a damn lot of everything.

Reading screenwriting books can be helpful because while reading certain parts you brain can fill with ideas. You can try and push yourself to write but churning out crap may further squash your confidence and energy.

Sometimes you just gotta step away from the keyboard and do something else. We're not machines, no matter how much we treat our bodies and minds that way.
When you can't create, absorb. Watch, read, walk, think, learn. The urge to write will come back stronger than ever, when it's ready to.
And it always comes back :)

In no way do I encourage what I'm about to throw out there but it worked for Mark Twain and sometimes it works for me.

When I'm in a slump I place my ass in front of the monitor on a Friday evening...

Then crack open a beer.

Amazing how the brain loosens up. Don't get me wrong the next day I chop most of it but it really opens doors.

And of course as Scott mentioned sometimes it's just flat-out the story. If it's not reaching out to you... sometimes the best thing to do is move on to the next and revisit at a later time.

I almost always sip a beer or scotch while writing. Always.

Write drunk.

Edit sober.

Also, watch some Kurosawa.

If I keep writing... eventually my liver will be used as a paperweight.

But I digress.

Again some strong suggestions. While I have an affinity for libations a la Nick and Courtney, I'm struck by Andrew's suggestion: Go to a museum. All that visual stimulation. Being in proximity to creative visions. My office is literally a 2-minute walk from an art museum. And I have never gone there. Andrew, next week, I promise I'll pay it a visit.

This was my question. Which I submitted ages ago, and found a nice surprise to see it back at the top of the page. I always get frustrated when starting a script and all I have is a seed. I've found I really need to give an idea time for the roots to grow, let it temper in my mind a while. Sometimes it's just too long. Since emailing the question originally, I've written a couple of treatments, and am about a month away from finishing my eleventh screenplay, one I feel has been a real step forward to me. It's always going to be frustrating though, getting off to those slow starts why the idea forms itself.

I retire into a Computer game. Some game worlds (like Oblivion and Mass Effect) are so huge that I find myself with hundreds of stories literally weaving their way around me.

I have trouble stepping away. But I try to change my routine, work on some photography, go to a museum - watch different kinds of movies, maybe. Take a walk, a long walk, on a new path... and let myself not write, not make "progress" -- and eventually something fresh will pop into my mind.

In those [rare] moments of creative despair I take a step back from the computer and play a video games (a bit unorthodox but it works). As an avid gamer since I was 5, it's amazing what immersing myself into another world will do to get the ideas flowing.

And with today's games as vast and detailed as they'll ever be, it doesn't take long before I jump back into Final Draft and crank out that next scene or sequence.

A couple current-gen games/series that've really helped in the past couple months:

Assassin's Creed
Uncharted
Fallout

Watch a cartoon. Seriously. Look at an animated show that's not all serious like a Pixar or Dreamworks film. Classic toons or current stuff. Watch the gleeful, free-ranged spirit of the work. It's uncompromising energy. It's extremely rewarding.

It's not common to analyze cartoons, especially as an writer, unless you're an animator. But if you look at the rhythms, timings, and the characters, it might open that creative side a bit more.

Recent reader and first poster here, and one of the most freeing realizations I made was how open the writing process was. Along with animation, there's Dr. Who, Sliders, Firefly - shows with huge imaginations and ingenuity. I started writing along those lines, and that's when it clicked. I feel like I can't even -stop- writing spec animation scripts now.

That's my suggestion. Also, really love visiting the blog!

Three things seems to help me...

One - Keep reading blogs like this. Scott's efforts have been a major inspiration and motivation for me.

Two - Talk to a friend or two about your story. But not someone that won't help with good feedback. Don't waste your energy on somebody that just says "Wow, cool story" and leaves it at that. Find a person that reciprocates your energy.

Three - Exercise helps me a lot. Something about oxygenating the brain I guess. When I jog, ideas just start pouring into the voice recorder on my phone.