Coming out of a two-year writing famine is a tricky thing. There seems to be so many big, scary things to contend with. To be honest, this morning I found myself staring at this blank editing window with big, confused doe-eyes. Staring at it the way a startled deer stares at the headlights of a car when it finds itself paralyzed, somewhere between the knowing of fear and the wondering of what in the world that thing is.
I feel lost, a little out of place, even with the familiar tapping of keys and the feeling of peace as the words start to flow. Something so commonplace for so long, now feels foreign, uncomfortable.
As I'm in this place of starry eyed wonder, trying to figure out how to reconnect with this old friend, I found myself wondering how I used to overcome shorter term writers block. I must have had some source of inspiration, some way to kick myself in the pants and get moving when I was struggling to type a single word that I was willing to keep...
It certainly wasn't in endless social media scrolling, or staring at that mystery spot on the wall ("Is that another spider?"), or pouring one more cup of coffee.
I don't have a perfect, works every time formula. I'm not sure those exist, but in thinking back, I did come up with a few things that have worked for me.
Four Tips to Try When Inspiration is Absent
There are so many other options. It depends on how your mind works. You could go to a coffee shop. You could look up writing prompts. You could listen to broadway soundtracks. You could read. You could exercise. You could drink another three cups of coffee. These are just a few of the things that work for me.
What is your trick to breaking out of the frustrating white box of writers block?
This post is a part of a personal challenge to post every day in the month of December 2017.