I'm not the first person to say this, and I won't be the last:

There is no such thing as writer's block.

Everyone gets stuck once in a while, yes. But there's this whole mystique about "writer's block," like it's this grand excuse and makes you a true artist suffering for your art because you just can't seem to get anything done. One of the best suggestions I can give to anyone creative is to banish the whole term from their vocabulary.

Writer's block won't pay your bills. A professional works. A professional hits the wall of "stuck," grumbles, tries to work around it, and then goes to work on a different project (or takes a walk, or makes a phone call, or whatever) to let the subconscious chew on things and unstick itself.

Because you will unstick, even if you keep coming back to what you're stuck on and just stare at it until the floodgates finally open. Having multiple projects on the go definitely helps me with this problem. If I don't have some other paying work to be productive on, then there's probably some administrative work I've been letting go. Doing something mindless like cleaning my desk or office or around the house in general--though in that direction lies procrastination, so beware. A lot of writers end up with spotless homes during tight deadlines as they avoid work.

When a deadline is looming far too close, you may just have to batter right through the stuck parts. Work around them if you have to. Write utter crap to fill the spot and mark it so you know to come back to it, or just put a [fill in history here] and move on.

Just don't let the mystique (and massive excuse) of "writer's block" allow you to avoid finishing projects and mess up what could be an otherwise productive freelance career.

Have any tricks you use to unstick your mind? Feel free to share them in the comments.