WRITE ANYTHING.
Even if it is the most ludicrous, ridiculous sentence you’ve ever written.
THEN FOLLOW IT.
No matter how terrible it seems, follow it anyway. Until you’ve written at least five pages, don’t give up. If you haven’t caught fire by page 6, set it aside. Don’t delete it. It might work later.[/four_fifth_last]
TRY A DIFFERENT VENUE AND SETTING.
Go to a coffee shop. Write in longhand. Use a sketchpad and draw little illustrations to go with the story.
IF YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PROJECT, GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING.
Don’t rewrite, but go back to page 1 and read it all the way through. Often, the excitement you felt at the idea’s onset will return.
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK.
Believe it or not, creatives feel burnout, too. Close your laptop and take a nap, or take a walk, or sit in your favorite chair and read a book. Let your brain cool. Maybe even for a couple of days. Whatever makes you write will come back, I promise.
Giorgio’s fifth novel, If You Tame Me, came out in September. You can pick up a copy at Woodland Pattern Book Center.
