Block

The answer is really obvious and will help:

1) learn more chords, play songs with those chords and use them in your writings.
2) Learn scales, play songs that use those scales and use them in your writing.
3) Don't quit when you are practicing something tough. Practicing something that's easy ain't practicing at all.
4) After finishing a song, make a list of things you don't like about it and try to do it better with the next song.

That's it. Look at what you can't do then learn just that.

The answer is really obvious and will help:

1) learn more chords, play songs with those chords and use them in your writings.
2) Learn scales, play songs that use those scales and use them in your writing.
3) Don't quit when you are practicing something tough. Practicing something that's easy ain't practicing at all.
4) After finishing a song, make a list of things you don't like about it and try to do it better with the next song.

That's it. Look at what you can't do then learn just that.

You make a really good point Arjen, don't just learn new scales and chords, but learn songs that they're in and KNOW how to use them. Sometimes too we give ourselves some "rules" when we're writing riffs or songs, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously. For me, I used to write stuff in a minor key by ONLY using diatonic and pentatonic notes... but recently i've figured out how adding a few notes can have different moods, flatted 5ths and flatted 2nds give a darker feel whereas adding a major 6th and major 2nd to the minor pentatonic scale is a good way to have a blues feeling. The only way I was able to figure out about how these extra notes effect music was by analysing the music i was into, so remember that sometimes it's alright to take a break and listen to whats going on.

get used to that feeling as it comes and goes forever. I dont know of anyone who is completly satisfied with thier abilities...as it should be.
recognize thatr as your drive and passion.

how to get past a block or up to the next plateau.?

I seek inspriation. by listening to new genres of music, going back to things I listened early on (and discovering that I can now play those parts I couldnt then), and learning something new, like scales or another mode and practicing that new thing....because once there something will light up and ...there you are ...past the block and up to the next plateau.

heres an anecote: once during a jam night I was feeling flat and same old same old.
it got warm and muggy in the jam space so i took off my flannel shirt and tied it around my waist and continued playing.
something happened then. I saw my shirt sleeves dangling in front of me. my playing erupted. I mean it took off. everybody noticed. I startd playing things I hadnt before.
all the while this was going on I went out of body, sorta, and realized that I was emulating Neil Young.
thanks Neil for the inspiration. I played with abandon and could nto screw up.
thre was no magic going on. I believe I had that stuff in me all along, but it was my attitude shift that fired things up.

a week later I was same old same old again. it's crazy.

Okay...thanks guys. I figured I'd listen to some Joe Satriani. Really helped actually. I also realised...due to my sudden urge to have a Motorbike, I really just have to think baout that, and then my playing seems to take off. Its like I'm channeling my want for a bike into my playing...and its really helping!

DayZd

As everybody said, this is perfectly normal. Sometimes we are inspired, sometimes not.

I learned a little trick from listening to a David Bowie interview once. He said he uses telephone numbers to come up with new chord progressions.

For instance, a number I had years ago was 642-6304, so based on the key of C that would be,

A, F, D, A, E, C (zero same as root) F. I would probably use;

Am, F, Dm, Am, Em (or E7), F

Now, as crazy as it sounds, I tried it and it worked pretty good.

The thing is that it gets you out of habits and conventional chord progressions.

Give it a try and see what you think.