Advice?

This happens to me a lot.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is to take a break from writing and focus on something else for 20 minutes to an hour. Often, you'll think of a different way to put the words to paper or an idea will come to you that will help.

When my story gets bogged down, I do something ordinary. I have the characters make breakfast, take a walk, run errands, etc. and while they're out, something will happen. Try it. You'll see....they will drive their own story line.

I agree. Take a break from what you are doing. Write another scene later. Take a walk. In my case, take a nap. Then come back to where you're having a problem.

As soon as I laid down for a nap and I needed it, I figured out how to say what I wanted to accomplish. My characters are smarter than I am especially when I'm tired.

That happens to me ALL the time - I know what I want to write, and suddenly I find myself unable to write it. Mostly because I think I have Adult ADD... I will play solitaire for 3 hours at a time between sentences.

I don't know if this will help you at all, but http://lab.drwicked.com helped me like CRAZY. I went from completely stuck and distracted, to churning out 2k in under an hour.

Failing that - put down the story, take a shower, play a game of tetris, and go back to it. You'd be amazed how much that helps.

Make it about the story, not the word count. (Maybe if I say it enough I'll believe it...)

For me it depends on how things are going each day.

If I've hit a plot hole and can't get out, I'll work on another story for a little while; it's an old brain trick in that your brain will work on the problem even when your attention is on something else. Almost always works.

If I'm having trouble getting into a writing session (Steven King, in 'Misery' described it as falling into the hole in the page) my trick is to keep writing. It can be a bogus scene that will never end up in the story (having all the characters play poker together is usually the scene, helps me flesh out their personalities, quirks, etc.).

Taking a break after a long session of writing is a different matter; it just usually means I need a break. Get some air, turn my brain off for a little while, let my eyes have rest, have dinner, and then I'm fresh up for another session before bedtime. This one works like a charm, too.

My mother, who is participating for the first time this year--Go, Mom, you rock!!--says that her environment has an effect. One day, she likes to have music blasting in her ear. The next she needs silence. One day, she wants hot tea at her hand all day, the next she wants to slurp a soda. So maybe give that a try.

Thank you all for commenting! I'll definitely try these things next time it hits me. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one ;) And I believe I also have adult ADD. I can't do the same thing for too long - and I'm usually doing a few things at once.