Small problem - not sure how to tackle a scene - I go for a walk. Always works. Larger problem, with plotting or structure, I tend to work on another project for a day or two, and when I come back to that project, hopefully I have a fresh perspective on it...

Write until it works.

I challenge myself to come up with as many options as I can. I'll usually break out a legal pad and scribble down one possibility per line on the page, when I've gotten to the bottom of the page I go back & work on whichever idea(s) work best.

Cry. Stop writing. Put it away. Cry some more. Whisper how much I suck in my head. Out loud. Start a new project. Cry about that one. Now I really think I suck. Drink. Try to write. It's great. Come back the next day -- WTF did I do to my screenplay! Cry. Write some more. Have a panic attack. Sleep. Write. Will myself to finish at any cost. Write. Can't finish. Cry. Write. Finish. Put it away. Read it. It's brilliant! Send it out. Get notes. Cry some more.

A small fix: clean apartment, go grocery shopping, get affairs in order, exercise, and cook something (I've especially gotten some really good ideas doing that last one). A larger fix: give your script/outline to a script-savvy and caring friend who'll wade through it and give you some notes and suggestions.

If I have lost why I am writing the story, I fumble around for awhile, searching, and if unsuccessfull, I leave the script. If I can't find my spirit in the story, it is no use working on it. If I still has heart and passion in the story I go back to prework and structure to find the code to unlock the door. In most cases I get stuck because I've started to write too early. Another thing to try is to write anyway and see what comes out. It's not like it is chiseled in stone. You don't even have to use Tipex these days. Deleting are easy. So, write and see what happens might work. If a finished script doesn't work, I check on structure and characters, try to expand conflicts, look for places that can be made more extreme, inchancing contrasts. Feedback is one of the most successful ways to get inspiration and unlock the door.

I've never tried the CRY part. so, I'll do that, see if it does help.

Thanks Scott for the post, and thanks guys for your suggestions. I do practice some of these “techniques”. I take walks with my characters and they reveal a great deal. Cooking also helps me refresh my mind. A weird thing that happens with me is that when I'm sitting at my desk my head goes blank, I can't think, I can focus; but as soon as I put my head to my pillow, {poof} I go into the story, see things clearly, events happen around me, characters interact with me as if I'm part of the story. I used to open my eyes and jump to my desk to record the epiphany but it would all disappear as soon as I lifted my head off the pillow. Now, I just watch this dream and hope I'll remember it in the morning. I do recall most of the visual stuff, but I miss most of the excellent dialogue. Anyway, yesterday, I tried a free-writing/Interview (suggested by Scott). My main character revealed something that I had never considered. And suddenly, I knew what was missing; but I still didn’t know how to fix the situation. Another Interview with the female lead made me realize, the major flaw of my story; so, I rented a couple of movies in the same genre and watched one last night; then did a quick analysis (plotline, theme-line, and characters), watched an interview with the writer and director, wrote my notes on what I learned. It was 02:00 AM already; I put my head on my pillow, and {poof} my characters took me on a new, more suspenseful journey. Today, thanks to Scott and the GITS Community, I’m constructing the new structure based on the blueprints provided by my characters, and it’s looking good. Tonight, I’ll start writing again. JUST KEEP WRITING!

Breathe.

"Breathe." That was on the card Yoko Ono gave to John Lennon the first time they crossed paths. Good advice!

I sometimes listen to music when I write, and my playlist is usually a mixture of Bach/Mozart/Opera + pre-76 Genesis, King Crimson, Ry Cooder, Allan Holdworth, Miles, Mahavishnu and a bunch of other prog/fusion acts. When I get stuck, I'll change my music rotation, so that it's mostly electronica & pop, like early Goldfrapp, Chemical Bros, Rage against the Machine, the Prodigy, etc... If I need to get darker, I'll listen to Bill Hicks. If I need to get more sensitive, I'll listen to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, etc...