This isn't the first time I've sat down and just started typing, only to suddenly find my story going in a whole different direction than I'd planned but somehow being better than anything I could have done in advance. And I certainly hope it won't be the last. If there's one thing I've learned that is absolutely vital to writing anything, from a poem to a novel to a short story, it's don't fight your muse.
I know, it sounds a little juvenile and a little too simplistic. But it's important. There have been times when I did try to fight my muse. I didn't like the direction something was going, so I tried to backtrack and start over, only to hit the same roadblock at virtually the same place. So finally I just let the muse do the work and, what do you know? I got past that roadblock and the story started to make sense again! I'm convinced this is because the story already exists, and you're just bringing it to life by tapping a keyboard or wielding a pen. So the moral of that story is, the muse will always win. So don't bother to fight in the first place.
There's also not really any such thing as writer's block, because there's always something that wants to be written. Just sit down and start typing, and you'll be surprised at what comes out. The best thing for your writing is just to let it flow. This might take you into uncharted territory, or it might be very uncomfortable for you, the writer (or you, the character). But what comes out of your foray into the unknown is almost guaranteed to be better than what you had initially planned.
You might protest, wanting to get everything exactly right. But there will be time for editing later. Just let the words flow off your fingertips, serve the meat, however un-garnished and messy it appears on the page at first. Then you can go back and shape it, add a little more spice, shift things around, add some sides, dab up some of the extra juices, and sprinkle a little garnish over it all. Then you'll have a finished product that looks almost too good to eat. Almost.
