by Every writer has experienced this dreaded ‘blank’ headspace at some point; you’re sitting at your desk, ready to go, and….’nothing’. So what do you do? Well the good news is that your creativity isn’t gone forever; it’s just taking a breather – which is sometimes the best thing for you to do also.
Here are a few tips to help you out!
Exercise. Go for a walk or a run, or simply bang out a few push ups in your living room, whatever works for you!
Relocate. Don’t panic, I’m not talking about emigration here; simply move into another room or perhaps head to the local cafe for a coffee.
Have a coffee. See above, if you don’t hit the coffee shop then make sure you make a cup for yourself at home. Not a coffee fan? Fair enough, have a cup of tea, or juice, or water… But I’ve a feeling you’re going to want that coffee buzz.
Put on some music. You need a muse, and what better source of inspiration than a good album?
Call a friend. Distract yourself with some idle conversation, so what if she wants to talk to you for an hour about her mother-in-law, just insert a few sympathetic noises at appropriate intervals and you’re set.
Check out some inspiring quotes. We actually put a few together last week!
Stop thinking. Okay, don’t take that literally…I’m not talking about a cognitive shutdown here. Just stop thinking so much! Over-thinking is a paralyzing endeavor which is stopping you from typing anything in the first place.
And finally…
Just WRITE. You can do it – you’ve been doing it for years, and who cares if your first draft is awful anyway? No-one else will see it, so just write another one. And if that one sucks, write another one. Just start writing, keep writing, and you’ll get past the hump soon enough. Writing veteran Maya Angelou is with us on this one too, ‘What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’