By Larry Leech @LarryJLeechII

Blink. Blink. Blink.

Oh, that cursor. That stupid cursor. Mocking me. On a blank Word doc.

Blank. Like my mind. On a day that I need to write.

Being a full-time freelancer for the past 17 years, my motto has been, “If I don’t work, I don’t get paid.”

With a blank mind, producing words can be difficult.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

If those blinks included a sound, I’m sure they would be as loud as a resounding gong or a hysterical laugh.

Which only increases the anxiety to produce. But after five minutes or so, I’m inclined to throw my hands up and scream, “I got nothing!” Or roll away from the desk, grinding my teeth and mumbling, “I give up.”

A blank mind can be one of the most frustrating experiences for a writer. We’re supposed to be full of ideas and the words flow so freely that we can’t type fast enough to keep up.

Until the mind goes blank.

Frustrating.

But easy to overcome.

I even chuckled at that. But it’s true.

To overcome those blank” moments, I have discovered a few things that help me get the mind in gear. Yet, sometimes I even forget to practice what I preach.

One option to overcome is to just babble on the page. Doesn’t matter what I write, I just write. Sometimes about my feelings, other times about golf (big suprise!), or about the weather. When I do this, my mind eventually wanders over to what I “need” to write about that day. I don’t have a set amount of words or time that I need to fill my mind, just whatever it takes.

Another thing I’ve done is type into the file a prayer that centers on my struggle and asking the Lord to help me. I admit that I am helpless and I can’t write without Him. Then I ask, sometimes beg, for Him to give me the words for the day.

In both cases, my mind fills up and I am able to write.

Another thing I have learned recently is to brainstorm with someone. Doesn’t even have to be another writer. My wife and son always offer great insight to a story idea or believability of a character. Their words and encouragement bounce me out of the doldrums and I get motivated to pound away on the keyboard.

So with these three things in my arsenal, you’d think that I’d never have to deal with a blank mind. But I do. Until I remember to utilize one of my options.

Writing coach of award-winning novelists, Larry J. Leech II has spent nearly 40 years working with words. After a 23-year journalism career that began in 1981, Larry moved into freelance writing and editing in 2004. He has ghostwritten nearly 30 books and edited more than 250 manuscripts. Larry teaches at numerous conferences nationwide and can be found online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and his website, www.larryleech.com.