Many writers find that they can spend months writing, the flow all around them. Then, slowly, it all comes to a grinding halt.

Your documents are half written.

You've lost the will to write.

The truth is, you've fallen into a writing slump.

This can be caused by many things, negative feedback, the critic inside of you, or over-writing.

Here's a some methods on how to deal with your writing slump, and get back into the beat of things.

I may not be a writer, but I used to be before I became (worryingly) passionate about (the precise art of) reviewing. I know what a slump is. I've been there. I know.

1) RELAXATION

1a) Writing is a relaxing art, it helps you fuel stress, relax, however, reading this means you obviously aren't up to writing. Don't think about your story, don't even look at it. You're aren't going to get anywhere by writing it half assed. Write some poetry, go outside, and write a poem about the weather, write a short story about ponies, or anything.

1b) Do something you enjoy, be it a walk with a dog, friends, a sleepover, spa, a day trip out, a cinema trip, just do something you find relaxing, but get out of the house, you'll be tempted to write, and even though you want to be writing again, you might fall straight back into a writing slump, as above, if you do write, don't look at your story, heck, don't even look at your computer, do it the old fashioned way, with paper and pencil!

1c) Make time for yourself, if you want to use this method, you need to take time out of things to actually relax! Book a day off work, cancel all your appointments, take your phone off the hook, make time to have some YOU time, read a book, drink hot chocolate, don't get dressed, sleep the day away! Eat your favourite food, wether it's chocolate or apples, I don't know. The point is, what you find relaxing, then do it!

2) RESEARCH

2a) Can't decide what to do now that your free time isn't taken over by writing? Find a new hobby, try out a martial art, discover a passion for gardening, if you have a subject or theme for your story, look it up, do your research on the story!

2b) Be adventurous, go play in the forest, discover your inner child, write down your experiences, you might want to use them in a story

2c) Go people watching. Creepy and weird, but fun to point and laugh at the fat kid that fell over, it'll give you inspiration for characters or even the odd scenario for your story. You can do work while off the job for a while, it'll contribute.

Slowly ease yourself back into writing, if you write tons at once you're bound to fall into a slump again, because you ran out of inspiration. I'll bet that it's what caused it in the first place. Don't do loads, unless you have neverending inspiration. Writing is a relaxing past time, but if you find yourself in slumps more often than not, then take a break for a while, it'll always be waiting for you. As long as you have a back up on a memory stick.

3) Writers Block

You need to identify the cause of the slump. Writers block, you don't know how to write the next part, or just simply bored of writing.

3a) You just don't know what to do next.

Get a notepad, carry it in a bag, everywhere. Constantly look for inspiration, write it down when you ge the chance, but don't let it distract you from what you're doing.

3b) Read stories similar to yours, get ideas, but don't steal. Take the basic form of the idea, tweak it to make it your own. (Like in my guide How to Write a Cliche) Reading the same genre may be enough to give you an idea

3c) Ask a friend for help. Your friend is likely to have an idea you can use, after all, that's what friends are for.

4) Bored of Writing

So you're bored of writng.

4a) Take a break. I highly advise you tell your readers you may be gone for a while, or they might think they're unpredictable and stop reading your stories. You don't need to give a reason, you have no obligation to tell them.

4b) You don't know how long it'll last, it could be a few days, weeks, or even months. All that time you'd usually put to writing is free, so let off some steam, have a Harry Potter marathon, re-read your favourite book series, whatever you do to relax.

4c) As long as it takes, eventually you get back into the swing of things, but don't exhaust your sudden writing streak all at once. If you spen every spare moment writing, you'll fall right back down into that slump again. You'll kill your re-kindled passion before it's even begun

5) Filler Chapters

(a simple one step method)

Filler chapters can be a lifesaver, but they've gotten a bad name because they've been used so often. This will only save you for so long, after the second filler your readers will realize what you're doing. Maybe your character has a tragic past never before revealed except in flashback chapters. This can keep your fans at bay, for a while, before they turn rabid and break down your door. It will give you a little time to think about the chapter, but only so much tragedy can be crammed into one childhood, so you better think quick!

No matter how much you love writing, if you exercise it out completly you'll fall into a slump, like a toy you play with everyday. Soon you'll get bored. Good things should be taken in moderation.