katarzynaradzka

Some days I can churn out 3000 or more words without breaking a sweat, then there are those days where writing 1 lousy word seems like the biggest hurdle to get through. I force myself to write for ten minutes and then I go do something else. I go for a run, I read a book or an article, I study German or Spanish or I call a friend.

Whatever you do don’t waste too much of your time surfing the web. You’re not going to get much work done. The Internet is a wonderful tool for writers however it is also deters you from writing. For instance, today I had a list of things I needed to do, stories I wanted to get started on but the first thing I did was turn on my computer, thinking it will get me motivated. Yeah right, instead two hours later I still haven’t written anything.

Ok. I lied. I have managed to write this but that’s pure luck because procrastination doesn’t always lead to a healthy dose of writing. In fact, it can lead to a lot of non-writing activities that we should avoid, especially if we have a deadline coming up.

So if you’re stuck for ideas today, try one of the following;

1. Go through your old photo albums. Check out your past, your family, friends and the places you’ve visited. Draw inspiration from your own history to write a short piece, be it a journal article, a short story, an essay or a poem.

2. Are you an active person? Go for a walk, run, or hit the gym. Swimming is also great if there’s a pool available. Or better yet try something new. If you’re always running try a spinning class. If you love kick-boxing, give Pilates or Yoga a go. You’re mind and body will be energized and bursting with new ideas.

3. Read a chapter of your favorite book, or read the whole thing if you want and write about it. Who are the characters? What is the story about? Where is it set? What is the theme? Now write your own story.

These are just some of the few things that work for me when I need a change of pace, scenery and to get my creativity flowing.

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