Trouble Getting Words on the Page?

Having trouble getting words on the page? Here are three basic tips:

• Write what you know.
• Write from your heart. 
• Write the story that only you can tell. In other words write your story from your POV.

Still struggling? Set a timer for ten or fifteen or even twenty minutes. Try one of the sentence starts below. Finish the sentence. Write the next sentence. Let your fingers take over and write whatever is on your mind and in your heart. Write without rules. You're building tools. You're depositing clay which you can mold later. Think of it as a rule-free adventure and express yourself. 

Here are some sentence starts taken from https://writeradvice.com/winter-of-2023-writing-advice/.

• Write about the layers of love in your life. 
• Write about your first love. 
• Write about your current love. 
• Write about your love for a child, a pet, or a project.
• Write about the love thoughts that won’t leave you alone. 

Alternately Try One of These Sentence Starts:

• This month I hope to . . .
• The sound behind me . . .
• It’s hard to believe . . . Why don’t you . . . OR Why don’t I . . .
• What's keeping me from writing is . . .

Or try this:

Try this: Make a list of subjects you’d like to write about. War, peace, a walk with the dog, a child’s graduation, a court date, seeing without glasses, a story in the news, your favorite place to eat, or an unexpected phone call from…. The possibilities are endless.

Pick the top 3—the ones that have the most energy for you, whatever that means.

Set a timer for 20 minutes and free write. Follow the process 

Don’t feel like doing this for yourself? Do it for a character you’re working with. What does s/he have to say to the world today?

When you're finished, read over what you've written and highlight whatever has energy for you. You can use that when you write tomorrow, or you can use another one of the topics above. 

Writing stimulates your brain, and Story Circle Network has several publications where you can share your work. No more excuses. Take pen in hand or apply fingertips to keyboard and see where the writing takes you. 

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Writer and editor B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. She’s written three award-winning books, two YAs, Talent and Disrupted, and a memoir titled Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62. Her flash fiction is published in Flashquake, Nebo, Cabinet of Heed, Murmur of Words, 100-Word Stories, Ariel’s Dream, and Writing in a Woman’s Voice. She's also a book reviewer and teacher at Story Circle Network and an editor/manuscript consultant at www.writeradvice.com.