1. Coffee. Or you could just eat chocolate-covered coffee beans by the handful. Not that I’ve done that. Much.
2. Write a poem. Poetry reminds you of the beauty and power of language and structure. Guaranteed to limber up your prose and make you look at that paragraph with new eyes. Doesn’t have to be serious, limericks work fine.
3. Write fan-fiction. Hey, it worked for Meljean. And Ellen’s using it to get back in her groove. Playing around in somebody else’s world for the pure non-publishable fun of it can really loosen a writer up.
4. Write non-fiction. An article or essay, something completely different. Or if you’re an article or essay writer, write a technical piece.
5. Write a short story. A short-short can be 500-1500 words and give you a great opportunity to experiment with form, POV, genre, mood, tone, you name it.
6. Pick one element of fiction and write a one-page piece focusing on that. Dialog, description, whatever.
7. Write a parody. Take a well-known piece and change up the nouns, verbs, etc. So much fun.
8. Write a mood piece. Describe a picture to set a happy mood. Rewrite to make it sad. Or scary. Your choice of words determines what emotions you evoke.
9. Write a scene in one POV. Rewrite in another character’s POV. (If your scene only has one character on-stage for that scene, you may have to get really creative.)
10. Read the dictionary. Language again. It’s a basic tool.
11. Read the encyclopedia. So many facts! And you never know what will make you go, ‘Hey, what if…’
12. Read outside your normal lines. If you read mostly romance, pick up YA or a biography. If you read mainly nonfiction, try a popular novel in any genre. And so on.
13. Make it a habit to write every day at approximately the same time. If you show up faithfully, the muse will start showing up, too.
Or….beat your head into the wall until something shakes loose 🙂
Kidding, great list, as usual, Charli 🙂
Oh, hey, that works, too. *ggg* Glad you like the list!
All great advice, Charli. Although, Lorelei’s method works too. 🙂
Great list, although I can’t say #13 has ever worked for me. I liked Lorelei’s advice, too. If I get desperate enough today I might try it 😉
NJ, I think we’ve all had those head-pounding moments!
Shelley, 13 doesn’t work for you? Just goes to show that different things work for different people. It pays to have multiple tricks up our sleeves!
Great advice, Charli! I love chocolate covered coffee beans. Yum!
Nic, you and me both. I can’t buy them by the bag or box because I have no self-control. *g*
Great list, Charli. There’s always the go out to eat with a friend option, sometimes talking to someone (even when it’s not about writing) will help jog something in your head. And if not, at least you’ve had a nice meal and spent some time with your friends. Always good. 🙂
Very true, Ann! I often bounce ideas off my husband while we walk. Dinner sounds more relaxing. A change of scene is always good.