Writer's block

I read a story once about someone who had a writer's block.  A professor told them to start describing a building brick by brick.  It helped.

I think the point is that if you feel like you're in a block, one way to get out of it is to try and think of several approaches to writing something.  Here are a couple I brainstorm now:

•     Do some non-poetic writing.  Get some ideas out without trying to put them into meter or rhyme yet.
•     Come up with some nonsensical rhymes.  Then try to add meaning to them.
•     Describe something tiny.  Inconsequential.  Ordinary.  Like a vampire's checkbook, or the key to his/her car.  Or his shoes.  Or the pavement he walks on.  Or how he greets people in the morning/dusk.  Or his desk job.  Or how he flips burgers.  Start with the most mundane, ordinary silly or serious things.  Focus on tiny details, and keep going.
•     Paint broad strokes.  Describe a world, an economy, a social class, or a family hierarchy or family line.  Then add details: economic, spiritual, social, political, emotional, physical, health, etc...
•     Describe relationships between people.  Use one word.  or Use one  sentence.  or Use one paragraph.
•     Find adjectives in a dictionary.  Model a situation, character, job, conversation, or relationship on it, and describe it.
•     Describe the things in a person (vampire's) life.  What's in their bedroom?  What kind of mattress? bed sheets? etc.
•     Describe the people surrounding a person's life.  Which people give them meaning and purpose?  Which ones don't?  Why?
•     Describe the why's of a person, or thing.
•     Describe how the person feels about the physical things around them.  Start by being ridiculous.  Perhaps it's easier to tone down emotion/feelings about something than tone them up.  Maybe start with adjectives.
•     Describe the events in person's life (vampire).  Major events.  Timeline.  Do the same thing for an ordinary day.  Ordinary week.  Describe stupid, ordinary things that happened to said person this day/week/month.  Like stubbed toes, gum on the shoe, or finding out something was sold out when they went to buy it.  Or, perhaps just describe how things go according to plan, even if ordinary things.   There is the usual like of 3 to 4 people at the coffee shop.  When s/he asks for (details of drink here) they get it in the same (time frame here).  He walks out and turns (direction) while (doing something else ordinary).  Takes (cab/bus/road/sidewalk) to (location).  What do they see, all the time, along the way?  
•     Go back to something you've written and try to make the character or yourself see it in a new way, or a new old way.  Victor Vampire has been meaning to look at that store he passes daily.  Today he realizes he's been putting it off (that's what is new), and decides to do something about it tomorrow.
•     Describe decisions.
•     Describe choices character has made recently.  
• Include decisions that are: significant, minor, silly, while tired, while inspired, etc.
• What was enticing about each of the alternatives?
• Were there more than two choices?  Did the character recognize all the alternatives right away?  If not, have they yet?
• Describe weaknesses.  Those the character is aware of, and not aware of.  Brainstorm and be ridiculous.  Open to random dictionary pages or encyclopedia entries and force yourself to invent weaknesses out of the first things you see.
• Write alternatives.  
• Eg. "what kind of wristwatch might this character wear?  None. Seiko.  Diamond studded.  Velcro...."
• Describe someone's style.
• Clothing.  Speech mannerisms and accent.  Body language.  Writing style.  Manners. 
• Lifestyle.  Messy? Timely? Addicted? Pedantic?
• Dating. Relationships.  Family.  
• Communication styles. Humor style.  
• Entertainment style.  Elegant? Tawdry? Silly?  Would you guess their entertainment preferences by looking at or talking with the character?
• Places.  Where does a character go?  Why?  What other places?  Avoidances?
• Significant places.  Mundane ones.  Routes.  Stores.  Transportation.  Vacations.  Sleeping.
• Is the character consistent in where they go?
• Write alternative whys.  "Why does this character not wear a wristwatch?  Uncomfortable.  Outdated.  They remind him of (something).  He forgets." etc.
• Ask five whys for stupid details.  Make up alternative answers.  
•  "Why does he forget his watch? he's forgetful.  Why?  Because a vampire hunter hit him on the head with a frying pan back in 1992 and he's never been the same since.  Why?  Because he was too focused on a car he wanted to steal.  Why?  He was out of cash and couldn't afford it and was feeling depressed during the fight.  Why?  Because his girlfriend kicked him out and got him fired.  Why?  Because he brought a giant pink kitten home and it ate her favorite three-headed-dog.  Why?...etc."
• Go back to any of the ideas you wrote above, and make up alternatives:
• Is the character consistently this way or that way?  When?
• How else might you model this character?
• How else might you describe this character?
• Add depth.  
• Use more specific words.  Use less specific ones.
• What/what/when/who/how has (fill in blank) influenced a characteristic, situation, or relationship?
• How has this changed over time?  Through different environments.
• Describe the character's uncertainty in describing something.
• Have the character focus on something, and try to analyze it.  Emote over it.  etc.
• What makes it complicated?
• What makes it simple?  Was effort put into it to make it simple, or is it naturally that way?
• How do different people feel about the same thing?  Offer different perspectives using different characters.
• Examples: What shade of green?  What words can you find for describing voice/tambre?  
• Research personality types
• Start with stereotypes.  Then describe exceptions.