Dealing with Writers' Block

Okay, so everything was going well and then BAM! You wake up one morning and you can't write. Maybe you have the ideas but the actual writing won't come, or perhaps the flow just isn't there. What I find happens most often is that I know what I want to write but I just can't get from A to B. So how do writers deal with this? Yes, it's frustrating to no end and it can feel like it will never end but it will. It can take from mere days to months or even years.
Usually, you just need something to boost you out of the dump. That might be just relaxing with a good book, preferably in the genre you write in: that way, you can get ideas from the author on how to get from one place to the other. It might be that you have clogged your writing up with dull and useless information: does the reader really need to know just how Bob opened the door and walked out? If it doesn't progress the story, you don't need it. 
My longest non-writing stint lasted for over ten long, painful weeks that I hated. I desperately wanted to write but I couldn't. I'd convinced myself that the things I was writing were coming true and I got scared. Fear is a major part of writers' block and it's a wall you have to smash through before you can get back to writing. Even after I had eased myself back into writing, it took a long time for me to produce anything worthwhile - it wasn't until July (my block ended in February) that I gained the confidence to put pen to paper properly, with a new project.
The bonus is that after you have come through a block, you will have so much pent-up writing energy that you won't want to stop. That July, I wrote just over 50,000 words in fourteen days and it felt so great to be writing again.
Don't give in to your block! It is not what defines you when you write, it is just a natural pause, a phase that will pass if you give it time. A mistake I've made many a time is to try and force writing during a block. Don't do this. It will only produce low-quality writing which will make you feel insecure in your writing and most likely, the block will last longer. 
Listen to music, go for a walk, take up baking - do anything during your block except write. I mean this: forcing writing when it's not coming naturally won't end well but don't worry, it will pass. 


Lydia