Rye Sense of Humor

Vol. 3

It's Wednesday.

Hump Day.

Half-way through the week. Great. That means I'm half-way to being stuck with teens on the weekend. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, YADA, YADA, YADA. But in all honesty, they're not that much fun to spend time with. Very moody and easily upset.

And what does that have to do with writing? Absolutely nothing. Just wanted to bitch for a minute. Okay, so what could possibly be on my mind...

Hmm...I'm stuck. I'm currently writing book 2 in the Derek Reed Series and I can't seem to get my words out. I think I have written 50 words in the last two days. I figured if I wrote this, I would clean my palate, so to speak.

What can you do when you get stuck in your story? I have a few ideas.

But first, why do we get stuck? What causes our brains to shut down when we have a great story idea?

You know, that idea that kept you awake, trolling around your brain the night before. And yet, now you can't even formulate a sentence? You stare at your computer screen or notepad, scribble or type one word here - one word there, and still, nothing comes.

Why? Did I do something in my past life that I'm being punished for?

Is our brain trying to trick us? Give us this fantastic idea that is sure to win us millions of new fans and buckets of money and accolades out the wazoo, only to yank it away.

I have no idea. All I know is I'm stuck. Maybe I'm trying too hard for perfection. I type, erase, and type again, but nothing fits. I can see the story, but I can't get it out.

This is when I need to step away. Otherwise, days go by, and nothing gets written.

Here are some ideas that might help you with writer's block.

1. You can write something else. Something completely different from what you normally write. And to help you, here is a writing prompt you can use:

You are gardening in your backyard, and you find an old tin box. You brush off the dirt and see a faded red heart etched out in the rusted metal. It has a small clasp, but no lock. You undo the clasp and begin to lift the lid.....

2. You can read. Reading will help spur your creativity.

3. Do one-minute drills. Take a word and write as many sentences as you can using that word.

4. Using a picture, write a flash fiction piece about the picture. Or maybe a conversation between the people in the picture.

5. Have sex. Probably with your spouse or significant other, not just a random person. But if that's all you have, hey, I'm not judging. Here's a side note...if you can't have sex because you're thinking too much, whatever you're thinking about is probably what's keeping you from writing. I'm just guessing, not a doc of any kind....

6. Go for a walk or exercise...pfft!

7. DO NOT EAT! (This one is just for me)

8. Write some place else. If you usually write in your office, go to the park. Or a coffee shop. Someplace different can spur your brain into action.

9. DO NOT GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA! (This is for me, too.)

10. Do not beat yourself up. Sometimes, you just need a break. You need to recharge. It's okay. If you are stressing about not writing, then you're only going to make it worse. Give yourself permission to breathe. Come back with a clear head.

There you go...a few ideas to get you back on the road to writing. If they didn't help, sorry. Find something else that works, and be sure to tell me so I can add it to a list.

Now I'm off to get a snack, and get on social media....