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In the eternal battle between pantsers and planners, I'm a very hard planner. I don't feel comfortable writing the first page of a story until I know the overall structure and the main characters, and I often won't write even an individual scene without first outlining what's going to happen in it.

I've found that whenever I get stuck, stepping back and thinking about what I want to do next gets me unblocked. When I have a mental list of what I want to accomplish in the next couple of scenes and why those things matter to the story, I have a much easier time sitting down and cranking out those pages. It also gives me a great deal of confidence that my words don't completely suck. I can explain as I'm writing them why they correctly and meaningfully portray the characters, deepen the conflict, advance the plot, and contribute to the themes. I know what I'm foreshadowing, what mysteries I'm hinting at but avoiding explaining, and how I'm setting myself up for strong context in the future.

To be sure, my first drafts still have serious problems and need to be thoroughly edited. I'm not saying I produce the correct story on the first try. I'm saying that I find all of this up-front planning is what gives me the emotional confidence to feel productive as I write the first draft.

I know the process of writing is different for everyone. But if you haven't tried outlining, it can't really hurt.