Ideas for Beating Writer's Block

I may not be officially published, but one problem I do not often struggle with is writer's block. Here are some tips you might find helpful.

1. Don't think of it as writer's block. No one is creative all the time. You have a good story, and sometimes a good story takes time to form. If you're feeling rotten, or have had a bad day, don't worry if the ideas don't flow. Pushing yourself when you don't feel like writing is a sure road to burnout.

2. Think about your story as you do other things. Some of my best ideas come to me when I'm excercising--walking is great for getting my ideas flowing--or doing chores. Instead of listening to music as you scrub the floor, listen to the ideas in your head.

3. Don't force your ideas. Let them simmer. Like a good sauce, a good scene sometimes takes time. Delilah finally discovers who the murderer is, but how, exactly, and how do you want to convey the scene? Is it scary, devastating, absurd? You may end up jumping up in the middle of the night with the best idea ever, which leads me to a corollary tip: Try to have a pen and small notepad, or an electronic writing device, with you when you are out and about.

4. Know where you're going with the story as a whole, but write one scene at a time. Thinking of the entire story at once can be daunting. I find one scene often leads to another, and another. For example, I know they're going to end up married, it's a romance after all, but how does Ariel feel about being beholden to a man she's not so secretly in love with? And how does he feel about the situation? Will he kick her out, or propose? Or will he just leave things as they are, much to her frustration?

5. What outcome do you want from a scene? Will your characters fight, or reconcile? Will Jimmy find $100 to help Mom pay the rent--and will he give it to her? Will Sarah realize some uncomfortable truth about herself? Will the brothers finally speak after years of estrangement?

6. Think of a good opening line. I often find I can write the rest if I can just find the right words to get me started.

7. Be true to your characters. You may want Jeremy to join the ballet but he may have other ideas. Maybe he's more the mechanic type and would be much better off fixing cars. And how does his mom feel about that, after spending all that money on dance school? Consider everyone's feelings, show only those that are relevant, and your story begins to write itself.

8. Have fun with it. If you're not enjoying a story chances are your readers won't enjoy it either. So if you're bored to death with George's job, have him quit or get fired. If a romance isn't working, find a way to shake it up.

9. Think about the consequences. OK, Joe is a werewolf now. How does that affect his love life? His job? His personality? Daisy has finally achieved her lifelong dream, and she's miserable. What does she do next?

10. Try a writing exercise. Write about an emotion or personality conveyed by how someone shops for groceries or washes their car. Write about someone completely different from yourself. Write a what if story about yourself: what if you had moved to Europe instead of going to college? What might you be doing right now? The act of writing often begets more writing. Your local library has dozens of books with writing exercises just like these.

I hope this helps you get over that hump. Until next time, happy writing!