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What's the hardest part of writing? Or, to put it another way, what stage of the writing process gives you the most difficulty? Is it drafting? revising? editing? proofreading? For many of us, the hardest part of all is getting started. Sitting down in front of a computer screen or a blank sheet of paper, rolling up our sleeves, and--and nothing. We want to write. We may be facing a deadline that should compel us to write. But instead of feeling motivated or inspired, we grow anxious and frustrated. And those negative feelings can make it even harder to get started. That's what we call "writer's block." If it's any consolation, we're not alone. Many professional writers--of fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose--have also had frustrating encounters with the empty page. When asked about the most frightening thing he had ever encountered, novelist Ernest Hemingway said, "A blank sheet of paper." And none other than the Master of Terror himself, Stephen King, said that the "scariest moment is always just before you start [writing]. After that, things can only get better." But just as professional writers have found various ways to overcome writer's block, we, too, can learn how to meet the challenge of the empty screen. Here's some advice from the pros.

"The easiest thing to do on earth is not write." (William Goldman)

"People have writer's block not because they can't write, but because they despair of writing eloquently." (Anna Quindlen)