Where's the Spark?

Lately I really haven't had the desire to write, somehow I always find something "better" to do. Now, this is bothersome because I remember the days when I could sit down and write for hours on end and literally lose myself in my work. My mom's first question would be "what writing are you working on?"

So, where did that spark go?

Why is it that now, after I decided I wanted to write a novel, I can't even write a short story? Am I being too critical of my ideas because I second guess them wondering "could that ever get published?" Maybe I should go back to square one, forget about being published one day and just write because I enjoy writing, find that joy that allowed me to 'escape' my reality for a time.

I did some research and found a couple steps that may help spark my desire to write again.

"Read. A really good book makes me remember why I love to write and often makes me want to write."

"Study self. Go back and read some of your writing. Perhaps doing so will ignite the urge to write."

Well I've got the first idea down, that is for sure. I read a lot and it's true, reading those books helps me remember that I want others reading my work and falling in love with my characters someday -- but I'm always left with the same question: "How?"
The second step is painful :) although looking at old works shows me how far I've come, they're very bland and choppy. But, I guess if it can help me remember some of my own ideas and remind me of some forgotten plot line... maybe I could recreate them? rewrite them?

hmm... now I kind of want to go and reread them. Perhaps I could rewrite the forgotten?

Okay, well I guess I'm off to reread... I just hope I find my spark buried in the bits of my unfinished work.

First Person

So, I started to write something small in first person, but my question is that when you're writing in first person how do you "show" people what's going on?
If I am talking in first person it's always "I walked over to the closet" ... that is very telly if you ask me. I think that's actually why I started to veer away from first person because I'm not 100% sure how to approach it. "My feet hit the floor and I walked over to the closet." That "tells" what's going on.

Bottom line, how do I "show" in first person? Any tips?

The Brick Wall.

So... I've recently discovered a pattern. Every single time I finish a book I'm left feeling the same way. What is that feeling, you may ask. It's pretty easy to describe actually. After I've read the last page I simply go "Wow..." I'm left pondering how words on a page could make me laugh, make me cry, make me anticipate. How can simple words on a simple page be constructed in such a manner as to effect the readers emotions and create a bond between them and the character? Yes, this kind of book is good, but after I finish a book like that I'm left with a string of questions running through my mind. "Will I ever be able to write anything remotely close to that good? Could I effect my reader in those ways? Could I create a storyline that unique?..." etc. etc. So I guess you could say after reading an amazing book or seeing an amazing movie... I'm left discouraged a bit, I mean... their ideas are so unbelievabley unique, and the skills behind the writing are phenominal. So the question is... could I ever succeed in writing?
Another reason that question has hit my mind is because I've hit a huge brick wall in my writing. I don't know which way to go... it's as if the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz keeps switching the way his arm is pointing. Left... Right... Both... Right. My ideas stopped flowing a bit ago, nothing I write satisfies me. Other times I can't write period. The ideas used to come in surplus, now it's like I'm suffering the famine. I hunger for good writing ideas, something I can lose myself in. I thirst for the ability to let the idea flow like a river. But I still thirst, I still hunger and for now my thirst isn't being quenched and I remain famished. I pray this dry spell ends soon... my pages are screaming at me to be written on.
So my question is... how do you cure your writers block?

Point of View

So I've been reading some books lately and one was in first person while the other was in third. It took me a moment but I noticed that when I'm writing my mind jumps into first person but i want to describe things in third person. So i think this is where my writings have been getting stuck a lot, because I want to have a main character whom I can really go into detail with (thought wise) but its hard for me to stay consistent with first. So am I wired to write first person?
I think I'll try writing a story in first for a change, see if the thoughts flow a bit easier. The question is... which story do I experiment with first?
Any Ideas?