In the comments, small_destiny asked about the word count I aim for, as well as what I do when I get stuck.
Word count: I try to aim for 3,000 to 5,000 words a day, though I’m not always consistent. Life happens. You do the best you can, though. The key is to not second guess yourself to death. To quote Joseph Campbell: “You have to suspend all criticism to do your work. In writing, you have to do this all the time in order to get the sentence out. Suspending criticism is killing the dragon Thou Shalt. Kill him.”
Writer’s Block (or the unsticking process): Depends. Sometimes being stuck is a matter of just being lazy. I’m tired, the story isn’t flowing the way I want, and the extra work just wears me out. That’s when I take a nap, walk the dog, read a book, or watch some television. Then, I get back to it. Sit down and write. The next sentence eventually worms its way out. Like dealing with gravity. Something’s gonna come down, so watch where you’re standing.
The real problem arises when there is a fundamental flaw in the story, and that’s the worst kind of block, because it means going back and fixing the story. Rewriting. Actually, that can be a lot of fun, but it’s also a pain. It’s even worse if you keep second guessing yourself (see above) into believing there is a problem, thus inducing The Block. Really, the entire thing—being a writer—is a mess. A fantastic wonderful mess, but a real doozy if you don’t keep one foot on the ground.
But as for your question—the flow of ideas—sometimes all I need to jog my mind free is to read a really good book outside my genre, the language of which can help me get my “ear” back. Poetry helps. I go to Rumi or Joseph Campbell, sometimes Annie Dillard. But it’s hard to give an exact “fix” for any story. It just depends.
Here’s another Joseph Campbell quote, one of my favorites:
Writer’s block results from
too much head. Cut off your head.
Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa
when her head was cut off.
You have to be reckless when writing.
Be as crazy as your conscience allows.