How to combat writer's block?

[Munkay]

What do you do to fight writer's block?
I'm at a loss. All suggestions are appreciated!

I've had some very crippling writers block before, so hopefully what worked for me will work for you.

As Occhi said, "you are in the apprehensive stage. Once immersion sets in, you'll be OK." I agree whole heartedly, but in my case the immersion stage doesn't come until the pressure of the deadline is coming. To combat doing all the work the night before, I do a lot of prepatory work.

I sit at the computer, or even with pencil and paper, and write about the topic without stopping to edit (sometimes even with my eyes closed!). Each time I may reread what I wrote once, but I start fresh. The basic idea is to mull over your material as many times as possible before you sit down and actually write it. If you can manage to familiarize yourself with the material and the direction you want to take your paper in, writing the paper itself becomes much easier. And when you sit down and immersion sets in, you're relaxed and writing at your best.

My problem is always the introduction, but through my method of practicing (for say 10 minutes a few times a day) I start to gain a clear idea of what I want to say and how I want to say it.

The bonus with this method is your paper will naturally have a much better transitions, and the paragraphs will flow much better.

In all of this, a mental or written outline does help me to keep from going too far off tangent, but at least in the prepatory stages I don't worry too much about it.

I'll be going to the gym in a little while to work out with a friend, and I'm seriously hoping for a "Eureka!"-moment happening sometime between now and the time I get home.

Eureka derives from the perfect form of a verb, euriskw, in Ancient Greek. The trick with writing is to move from eureka (I am in the present state of having found it) to gegrammai!(I am in the present state of having written it)! :P

Goodluck!

Cheers,

Munk