I never used to worry about this, but last April, the voices in my head finally went silent, for the first time ever. I had my next novel fully outlined and ready to be written, but I just couldn't write it without that drive. Thankfully, as of last month, the voices have returned, and I'm now writing the next novel (as well as getting ideas for new stories with the same constancy, and asking them to form an orderly queue). I think the hiatus in inspiration had to do with a certain popular plague currently on world tour, but also being made redundant from the day job, and other personal circumstances. The good news is that, as you say, all of this is fertile ground for new material, and I am now starting to see some olive shoot ideas from the dung heap of the last few months.

Anyway, great article, with lots of good points.