by Heather Kreke @HKreke

It’s Wednesday morning, You have your coffee in hand and you sit down in front of your computer. Most of the time, the words flow. Today, they refuse.  So what do you do when the keyboard gets the best of you?

Pray:

Don’t just pray in your head. Write or type out your prayer. Just let the words come as you think them. “Lord I don’t know where to start today.” is a great place to start. Tell God your struggles. Pour them onto the page. By the time you’re finished, you may find your story comes to you. At the very least, you got your fingers moving on the keys. If you just keep the momentum going you’ll be back into your work in progress in no time.

Edit:

This is the one that usually works best for me. Before I start writing something new, I go back to edit what I wrote yesterday. This gets me into my story again. It reminds me what was going on when I left off and what I’m hoping is coming next. It’s a good way to reconnect with my characters and get inside their heads before I try to take them somewhere new.

Skip the scene:

Sometimes when I come up against a scene that just won’t come to me, I skip it and write one of the scenes that comes later, one that I’m sure of. Once I get that one out of my head, I can usually go back to the scene I was stuck on and bang that one out as well.

Do some more research:

Sometimes I have a scene in my head that just isn’t ringing true. If I’m really stuck, I will go back and look at pictures of my settings, check my notes on my characters, or even go online and double-check some of my facts to make sure I have everything right. This helps me to get the scene straight and will usually help the words flow.

Find an accountability partner:

Having someone to challenge me with word counts and actually being checked on to see if I have accomplished those word counts helps to get me moving when I am stuck and just want to zone out on Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook, do not get sucked down the rabbit hole of social media, answering e-mails, watching TV, or even reading. Set a timer for whatever method you use and stick to this time limit or you might use all of your writing time watching videos about cats.

Most of the time, one of these techniques will get me started. Sometimes, I have to do more than one, such as type a prayer and then edit. The key is not to get discouraged. Find one or a combination that works for you.

How do you kickstart your brain when you’re having trouble writing?

Heather is a novelist who is passionate about showing teens and young adults that they can trust God’s plan for their lives – even through the darkest times. She is published on numerous blogs and in the Christian Writers Market Guide. She also teaches a writing class at her church and completed coursework through the former Christian Writers Guild.

Heather is a mother of 3 redheaded girls and has been married to a redheaded husband since 2004.