writer's block
I think it's quite possible that with some people at some time there is such a thing as writer's block. I do, however, think this is extremely rare, and almost never falls into the same category as what we normally call writer's block.
The thing is, writer's block can be traced, and the growth pattern of writer's block is well known. It can be pretty accurately tracke dthrough history, back to what seems the first instance. For many years, writer's block was almost exclusively an American phenomenon.
In fact, until someone coined the term "writer's block," it pretty much didn't exist, except in a very few isolated instances of true mental illness.
Most of what we call writer's block is laziness, but there also seems to be a connection with "cabin fever," and with health. Cabin fever hits many writers, and getting away from writing and the house is a good thing. Health is an issue for many reasons, but one of the most common is fatigue. I've never thought writing is hard work, but it does take a lot of energy, and fatigue can make writing extremely difficult. The three most common causes of fatigue seem to be overwork, undersleep, and lack of exercise. These things do not cause writer's block, but they do make writing more work than it should be, and many simply aren't up to it. I understand this well.
I'm not a big believer in brain chemistry. Everytime I see a study that seems to show brain chemistry causes an action, I see another study that says the action causes the brain chemistry. Brain chemistry can cause someone to enjoy running, but running everyday can change brain chemistry until it's exactly the same as someone who had the chemistry before they started running.
So does brain chemistry cause lack of creativity, or does laziness and not trying to be creative cause the brain chemistry to change? I lean toward the latter. I think we make our own brain chemistry by what we choose to do or not do with our time. There's a lot of science to back this up.
There's also something to the "name it and claim it" theory. I remember reading a study that took place back in the late fifties or early sixties where a large group of people were told a new disease had been discovered,and it was strongly supected many of these people had it. The made up symptons were largely ones no one could have, but an amazing percentage of the group started experiencing them anyway. Hypochondria, actually. Writer's block has been show to work just as an imaginary disease. Coin the term, and suddenly the hypchondriacs of the literary world start experiencing the symptoms.
There's also a lot of science behind the study of habit. It takes the average person just three weeks of doing something everyday to form a habit. . .a habit of writng, and a habit of creativity. Downtown from this can be essential, a chanceto recharge the batteries, refill the well, however you want to look at it, but only if it's spaced in a way that doesn't interfere with the habit. If you show up at the keyboard everyday, it won't be long before the muse is there waiting for you.
I don't think getting stuck usually has anything to do with writer's block. I suspect we all get stuck. I know I do. Sometimes it's because I did something wrong earlier in the story, took off it the wrong direction, and wrote myself in a corner. This rarely happens, but it has.
I also get stuck because I'm writing a story I don't care about. If there's no buzz, no excitement in the story for me, I'll probably get stuck.
But the biggest reason I get stuck is a form of cabin fever. I've simply been in my office writing for too many weeks on end, and I need to go do something else. Just getting away in the evening is enough, as long as I go do something to burn off the excess energy and get rid of the cabin fever.
I don't believe in writing crap, either, but I'm not sure a good writer really ever does write crap. I know there are days when the writing is a struggle, when everything I write seems like crap, but if I later show the finished story to someone, they can't begin to tell the sections that were written on these days, and the other sections that were written on days when everything came easily and seemed wonderful.
But, yes, writer's block does probably exist. But I think if someone has real writer's block, they know it. Real writer's block doesn't make someone not write, not show up at the keyboard. It doesn't make them play computer games. Real writer's block means that person can't write, crap or anything else, no matter how hard they try. Real writer's block, if it does exist, is a form of mental illness that needs treatment.