Some people talk about writer's block like it's the plague. Other writers poo-poo the whole notion saying that it doesn't really exist. While I have my opinion on the matter, I'm offering some creative ways to break through that-that-shall-not-be-named instead.
The List of Fun Things to Do When You Can't Write:
1.Take yourself on an artist date. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, highly recommends this. Go someplace new, hop a bus, a train, a plane (if you have any spare cash hanging around). Neurologists agree that, if you go someplace you've never been, it activates your neural pathways, helping you to see the world in a fresh way.
2. Express yourself in a new medium. Last winter, I was having a heck of a time writing so I began to sew. I took out the sewing maching someone had gifted me and bought a pattern for a child's dress. Now, I don't have a daughter or even know a young girl, but I sewed three dresses then gifted them to a friend of a friend. When I was done, I went back to writing.
3. Take a walk. Physical exercise and the resultant input of oxygen to your brain gets the circuits going.
4. Read a book and type the words from that book. The act of writing, even if it's someone else's work, is helpful.
5. Create a playlist of music for your novel in progress. Choose a song for each chapter or the chapter you are struggling with to get you in the mood and give you a sense of the mood of that chapter. While you're at it, dance around the house. You're a writer! No one will quesition your behavior :)
I'll have to try dancing around the house. My neighbors think I'm strange anyway :)
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