Nobody likes being in The Valley.  

You can call it 'writer's block' if you wish, but that would miss the fullness of despair of the place, the total blackness, the feeling of utter failure and discomfort and absolute hopelessness.  When I'm in The Valley, I don't remember how I got there, I'm very uncomfortable, I feel stupid, I can't see a thing, and I want out in the worst way.

Worse than a simple rock in your path, The Valley is an enigma, a dead end that you must punch through to get to the finish line. If that sounds like you must break some rules, you're right, and you're wrong.  Such is the paradox of The Valley.  It is an impasse, an anomaly (an artificial contradiction of your own invention), a quagmire.

There's no way to cheat yourself out of The Valley.  It requires real work, but it's not just hard, it's always different.  The thing you did to get out before is absolutely worthless this time around. There are as many different ways to get out of The Valley as there are to get in, but they are just as inexplicable. The fact is that it's mostly trial and error.

One thing people forget is the weird way that The Valley treats time.  When in The Valley, you feel like you've been in there forever, and will remain in there forever.  However, when you get out, you realize that dwelling in The Valley is temporary, that it has a definite beginning, and a definite ending.  Remember that.  Hang onto that with all your will, with all your heart.

Here's something they don't tell you; The Valley is necessary.  Instead of being a curse, The Valley is actually a blessing in disguise.  If nothing is working, that means that you need to back up and try something else.  Think of it as a barrier of opportunity.  If this angle isn't working, the answer has to be something else.

But wait, there's more.

The Valley is also instructive.  If being in The Valley is a signal that something is wrong with your story or your thinking, it is also an opportunity to try different things to fix it.  Sometimes, you can get out by applying logic to the situation.  Ask yourself what's tripping you up, and go right at it.  Sometimes, escape comes by trying something new.  And sometimes, the answer comes from pure, dumb luck.

Ironically, the worst aspect of The Valley is also its greatest asset -- total darkness.  It is impossible to miss when inspiration strikes because it lights up the darkness like Jacob's Ladder.  It can be very dramatic when that inspiration hits, and there's no better feeling than riding that idea like an escalator out of the pit of despair, taking the stairs two at a time until you're out and on top of the mountain.

And that's the final secret of The Valley -- you never know how high you can go until you've been in the depths.  Not only that, the deeper the pit, the higher the resulting mountaintop when you climb out.

And climb out you will.