I’ve had a great morning writing, but it’s not always that way. Some days, I sit and look at the blank screen and my mind is as blank as that page. So what do you do on days like that? You figure out ways to jumpstart the muse. Here are a few tricks that might help:
1. Just start writing. Anything. Even if it’s only “I have nothing to write” over and over again – eventually you brain will figure out something to write besides that.
2. Change your surface – sometimes when I switch from the computer to the pen and paper, I can focus better. The writing becomes more sensory and flows better. Then when I go to type what I’ve done into the computer, it all comes together much better.
3. Go for a walk, and don’t just amble around the block. Go outside and really look at your surroundings. Let your mind take in the cold chill of the rain as it splashes on the sidewalk, or the shadows created by sunshine through the leaves of trees; or the noise and smells of the city. Really experience your surroundings and take that experience back to your writing.
4. Write something different. If you write one genre, try another. Try something new.
5. Interview your character – ask them questions, then write the answers as that character would.
These are just a few of the ways you can jumpstart your writing. What do you do when the words just won’t come?
