You’re on task. Laptop ready. In peace and quiet or whatever mode gets you in the moment, you’re poised to write and excited to get started.

Nothing.

Ok, then. Now what?

Breathe and berate your barren mind. Here are some ideas to help you wrestle with the wedge and start your stories flowing again.

 1. Stick with what you know first.

Topic and notes in hand, you have 500 words to find. It feels larger than the Northern Hemisphere to fill. Don’t sweat it. Flick your feeling barometer on, forget the research factor (for a while anyway) and get your thoughts down. You’ll soon swing into a rhythm, and when it’s time to research you’ll fill in the blanks beautifully.

2. Don’t edit until the end.

Your eyes are wandering back up the page. We all do it – particularly those perfectionist types – stop!  At least until you’re well into your content with the basics down pat. Fresh eyes are an editor’s best friend, so keep going and squint your editor eye over it later.

3. Turn off the grammar gremlin.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a grammar and spell check lover. But sometimes those squiggly lines make you stop mid-sentence. Nothing quashes typing speed records faster than a glaring typo dutifully underlined by the PC police. Turn it off – for now – relax and just write! Come back and correct with a clear head.

4. Write first – perfect later.

Same but different to Points 2 and 3. Get the words down and let it flow. Don’t worry about spacing, spelling or the thesaurus. If you are word count restricted, find a previous example that fits the same word count and matches the paragraph or page limit. Then you can retrace your steps, remove redundant or repetitive words and phrases (great copy killers) and fine tune your piece to perfection.

5. Switch roles – swap tasks.

Mind fog. Pen paralysis. Call it what you like. It happens, and it sucks. Your workload is building, and your mind wanders to the clock; how are you going to produce amazing work when time’s ticking and you’re taxing?

Stop what you’re doing (or apparently, not doing!) and start a new project. Sure, it may have a later deadline, but a new topic can often trigger new ideas and start the words flowing again. Soon, you’ll be moving back to your original piece with renewed vigour!

6. Set the stopwatch.

On your marks… Never underestimate the fun of a personal challenge. Whether it’s five minutes while the eggs boil or three hours until school pick up, upturn the hourglass and start. Stretch your boundaries.

7. Pick your moment to write.

We all have our windows of productivity. I have two; between 6:00 am and 9:00 am (with a coffee or a green tea) where I often smash out creative content, and again after 1:00 pm until 6:00 pm when I’m just as centered.

Whatever works for your body clock, make the most of it. Two hours of foggy screen stare can be trumped by one hour of conscious thought and fast fingers – simply work out your own sweet timeslot and capitalise…

KS x