Clearing the wall that is more commonly known as 'writer's block'

Hi Gang!
My boyfriend is doing Creative Writing at De Montfort University and has been brain washed into thinking there's 'No such thing as writer's block'. To that, I say - excuse my forthcoming swearing - bollocks. If there was no such thing as writer's block, what do you call that painfully frustrating moment when you've been writing for a while and you then run out of ideas for your story/poem/play, and feel as though whatever you write next is going to read as word vomit, which brings your writing to a grinding halt?
Call it what you want, I know that it's a pain in the bum when I'm trying to write and suddenly run out inspiration and things to put in a piece of writing, despite trying my hardest to think of more words, phrases, metaphors that will help me to carry on writing.
SO, for those of you who, like me, suffer with this 'condition-that-must-not-be-named', here are a few hints and tips I've come up with to try and help me with my writing.

• Have a break. If you simply can't carry on for fear of punching your computer screen, go and make a cup of tea, have a walk, listen to some music or do anything non-writing based and then come back to it later
• Go back to your original idea and write a brief plan of what's going to happen in your story/poem/play. If you have a clear idea of where your piece is going to go, it'll make life a lot easier. 
• Following on from the previous point; if you divide your prose into sections when you're writing, you might find it's easier to leave one section and start writing another section instead. E.g. if you're writing a story about a penguin who gets lost from his mother and meets up with her again a year later, the plan would be: Part 1 - Penguin gets lost; Part 2 - Penguin is cold and upset; Part 3 - Penguin copes with life; Part 4 - Comes back to original setting one year later; Part 5 - Finds mother and is happy; Moral? We all have to grow up at some point, sometimes quicker than expected! 
• Similar to the second point, write a character profile for however many characters are in your prose/play. Draw up a Facebook profile template and add your characters details - where they live, are they interested in men or women, do they like penguins etc.
• Try some free writing. Sometimes sitting in front of your computer with distractions like Facebook and Twitter and Youtube and iPlayer and Google will jar your concentration and may make you lose focus on your writing.
• Try typing out some passages from your favourite book/poetry collection/play. This will help you get used to the writer's style and may inspire you to write something similar to their work. Pick out parts that you really like - highlight similes, metaphors, personification, strong dialogue etc.
• Finally - make sure you care what you're writing about. If you don't have an interest in whatever you're writing it's bound to bring you to a halt at some point. 

Hope this helps - see you at the meeting!

Love and peace,

Becca 

CW Society President 

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