Often times for me, writer's block comes from having too many ideas and trying to get out too much detail. When this happens, I write out the 'beat points', as I call them, in a layout. I have 4 beat points per chapter. 'Beat Points', for me, are the main events surrounding a chapter. I treat each chapter as a sort of 'miniature story' on it's own. Sometimes that can often help me work faster.
This is an example of my 'beat points' idea:
Chapter One.
- Protagonist arranges a meeting with love interest (LI), during which the Protagonist's secret is revealed.
- Protagonist attempts to cover the secret, but causes more questions while doing so.
- LI and Protagonist meet again, and the Protagonist must decide whether to reveal the truth.
- Antagonist attacks the location where the Protagonist is, launching the conflict of the story.
These 'beat points' are actually the basic plot for the first chapter of my action novel, White Dragon Command.
However, for my sci fi novel, I had to construct a more in-depth plot outline for it. I have only 8 of the 16 or 17 chapters outlined, and I'm already a quarter of the way through the fourth chapter. Once I reach chapter ten, I'll be able to know exactly where the novel should go based on the information available, and finish drafting the plot.
Hope this helps you and others.