It does, I highly doubt it's possible to be creatively driven at all times without going mad! For short failures in drive (we're talking one to three days, tops), I can usually find a cause. I'm too busy, too tired, have too many non-creative to-do's weighing on my mind, or my mental health has lost a little of it's shine. Or I'm just having a few bad days creatively, sometimes that just happens too, but usual there's an external stress making it worse. Those, I just wait out. Put the writing aside and work on something else that I need to do a few days from now, so that when the drive comes back I'll have the free time to write then.
For longer failures, I generally find I have to write myself through it. Just keep putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, even if what you're writing is boring, uninspired drivel. I don't recommend working on anything you're planning to post/publish unless you have a non-negotiable deadline, although I'm sure some people can craft uninspired yet worthy prose during these sorts of periods - think of it like Nano writing. You keep writing regularly for the word count, and never mind what you're actually putting on the page. I find it I put writing aside to wait out a longer down time, I eventually start to lose the drive to pick it back up and try again. It's like something gets a little rusty, and when the inspiration comes back I'm 'write' the stories in my mind or another medium, but develop an aversion to tackling the dreaded legal pad or laptop, because I let it intimidate me in the first place.
Just keep swimming in words until you rediscover that spark that gets the whole process churning over properly again. I generally find I'm suddenly invested in this horribly flat character I've been writing, or the loose plot thread or missing backstory is suddenly integral and fascinating and I desperately want to fix it. Once I've got that, it usually transfers over into my other writing with ease as well.
Good luck, however you decide to handle it! I hope you find your own best way to handle the block.
no subject
For longer failures, I generally find I have to write myself through it. Just keep putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, even if what you're writing is boring, uninspired drivel. I don't recommend working on anything you're planning to post/publish unless you have a non-negotiable deadline, although I'm sure some people can craft uninspired yet worthy prose during these sorts of periods - think of it like Nano writing. You keep writing regularly for the word count, and never mind what you're actually putting on the page. I find it I put writing aside to wait out a longer down time, I eventually start to lose the drive to pick it back up and try again. It's like something gets a little rusty, and when the inspiration comes back I'm 'write' the stories in my mind or another medium, but develop an aversion to tackling the dreaded legal pad or laptop, because I let it intimidate me in the first place.
Just keep swimming in words until you rediscover that spark that gets the whole process churning over properly again. I generally find I'm suddenly invested in this horribly flat character I've been writing, or the loose plot thread or missing backstory is suddenly integral and fascinating and I desperately want to fix it. Once I've got that, it usually transfers over into my other writing with ease as well.
Good luck, however you decide to handle it! I hope you find your own best way to handle the block.