Do you ever sit down in front of a blank page, after finally finishing all of your procrastination, and then just find yourself staring at the blank page with no idea of what to write or where to start?
There’s a brilliant exercise that I read a few years ago, in an incredibly good and depressingly short lived writing magazine, that was all about how to choose your first word when you’re having trouble finding one. It’s quick, as the name suggests. It’s fairly simple, and all you need is a book within easy reach. So I thought I’d share it with you.
I remember it every so often and tell myself that I’m going to do it at least once a day to see what interesting new ideas I can pull out of my head. I think I’ve done it twice, but it’s the thought that counts right? No? Well, my intentions were good, I promise!
So, rules of the game:
First – Pick up a book. (Any it book, it doesn’t matter which.)
Second – Flick to a page. (Any page, it doesn’t matter which.)
And finally – Write down a line. (Again, any line, it doesn’t matter which.)
Then, taking that line as your first line, write for two minutes without pausing. At the end of two minutes, find the best line out of what you’ve just written (don’t look at me like that, there will be one!), and use that as a new starting point, this time writing for five minutes.
If you don’t come up with anything good, try it again tomorrow. Or even immediately after. Or, if you’re me, about six months later when you remember. Again, thought that counts right?
So, fancy giving it a go? Have you got any other tips or techniques for finding inspiration when the words aren’t coming?
