Stuck? Grab a Broom

Happy Monday!

How many times have you sat down to write to find yourself staring at your computer screen for way too long? Your manuscript is right in front of you and you feel like your brain is a blank piece of paper missing its friend—the pen. If you sit long enough, you will start to talk to yourself. "Why aren't the words here today? I need to write! How long should I sit here?"

You Are Not Alone

Dear writing friends, you are not alone. We have all been in this place many, many times. If you're writing with an editor's deadline, this can be distressing. If you're writing with your own deadline, this can be distressing. Let's face it, anyway you slice it, this is distressing! So, what do you do?

Switch Gears

Once solution is to switch gears. Close that manuscript and open another that you've been working on. Sometimes your brain just needs a change of scenery. What if you only have one manuscript? Remember that writing prompt book that I mentioned in my last blog? This would be a good time to open it and pick a prompt that intrigues you. Or how about writing a letter to a family member or a friend? Any writing is better than no writing!

Stubborn?

Are you a bit stubborn and have your mind set on working on your manuscript? Well, then you will need to be creative and think out of the box. Did you notice the man in the photo in the upper right-hand corner? That is how we feel when we're stuck. Did you see the woman who is surrounded by cleaning supplies? Good! I want you to grab a broom.

Daily Tasks Help You Think

Move away from your computer and pick up a broom. Sweep your floor, or vacuum if you have carpet. While you're cleaning, think. Think about your main character. Think about that next scene in your book. Keep physically working and keep thinking. These daily tasks may give you exactly what you're looking for to move your story forward. Whenever I find myself stuck, I clean. For me, it works! On a good day, I won't complete my cleaning, and I'll be back in my chair, fingers happily flying over the keys.

Be Kind to Yourself

You may have days when you've written an incredible piece in your writing prompt book. Your house may be spotless after all your cleaning. And, you still don't have the thoughts or creativity to move your story forward. It's ok. It's perfectly okay. Tomorrow you may sit down, and you won't be able to type fast enough to get the words out. Be kind to yourself. There's always tomorrow.

Till next week. . .