Obviously there's no one answer to this. These are simply my observations on dealing with this issue:

I've found writing in LaTeX to be quite liberating; by planning the rough shape of the story (sections or chapters) I can then create a separate module that will contain each chapter or section.

Each module contains a comment at the top with the rough plot for the module and some things to keep in mind. This way I can just pick up a new module, free of the weight of previous work, free of the worrying over formatting and layout, and just write.

This wikibook is invaluable for this: en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX

When I'm stumped on a section I've often it's because I don't like it. Scrapping it an going back to the end of the last section often kickstarts my writing again.

When I’m really stumped I get my wife to give me a word, and use it as inspiration to kick off a new piece. Sometimes going and working on a short for a while clears my head, and I can come back to main piece ready to write.

When I was unemployed I did way more writing than I do now. If you really want to write, you need to make solid time for it (which you had plenty of time for back then.) Set aside some time, even if it's only half an hour a day. The more you stick to this the easier it will get.

As Lauren said; ditch the MMO. You know those things are addictive and you'll never make the time to write if you're playing them (and if you do you'll be distracted by thoughts of the game.)

I prefer to listen to instrumental music when I’m writing. There's a ton of great free music like this on Jamendo. (For fantasy check out Celestial Aeon Project.)

In fact, I really like finding music that fits the theme of what I'm writing, to help carry on that inspiration.

If you're friend keeps singing get some good headphones and drown it out with some non-distracting music. Note I like instrumental music because I find myself stopping to listen to the lyrics if there are any.

For some people planning out the whole story helps them stay on track, but for others it stalls their creativity entirely. Spend some time figuring out what works best for you and then put it into place.

As lonehorseend said, find somewhere comfortable to write. I use a laptop so I can sit wherever I want, and if I can't take it with me I take a notepad.

Using a notepad also allows to me to write without worrying about how it looks and sounds; I can polish it up when I type it up. This allows me to write quicker.

Just make sure you don't slip into the trap of using a need for a better environment/equipment as an excuse to not write. That one's caught me out many a time.

Conclusion

So, writing should be fun, we should enjoy it, but it's also about work. If you don't put in solid time you won't get the output. The problem, as you know, is getting started. Hopefully some of these things will help, but I think the biggest one is setting time aside every day. If you can make this routine then eventually you won't even notice it, it'll just be what you do.

And finally watch out for distractions, and that includes distracting yourself. Sometime sitting down to a big piece can seem daunting, and it's easy to avoid the whole thing. But it's worth it not to. Just stick to it.

Good luck.

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