I hope you had a fantastic weekend! We installed the shiplap ceiling in my office and painted the walls.

And then.

And then we had this BEAM, see, this HEAVY CEDAR BEAM that will span the room. It’s 16’ and it’s Hev-VEE.

We stared at it a long time and then walked away and ordered pizza.

We’re going to tackle it today after work, but here’s the thing. Sometimes you just have to take a break. Get a second wind.

Like last week. I had a big writing week. I wrote a 25K novella in three days. I only had 1 scene left to write…1200 measly words and…I had nothin’. My brain was all wrung out. I could barely form the words, “I’d like a pepperoni pizza with mushrooms, please.” (although, I managed. I mean, really, priorities!)

What do you do when you have NOTHIN’ else? No words? No energy to write?

Well, obviously, YOU NEED A BREAK.

But, what kind of break? What can you do that will fire up the imagination? Here are five tricks to try.

• If you absolutely MUST keep writing today to finish a deadline, then go for a walk (or take a bath). Just walking away and getting some fresh air, or listening to music will help free those thoughts. Don’t fill your head with new stuff, like a podcast, but just…let it rest. You’ll be shocked what floats to the surface.
• Call a writing buddy. Ramble for a while. The right words will finally tumble out, and if you have a committed buddy, they’ll probably discover the gem in your ramblings. Or, YOU will. It’s amazing what you discover if you just start talking about your characters, what they want, why, what they have to lose and what needs to happen next!
• If you have a few hours then I suggest something inspirational…like a sermon, or a podcast, or even watching a documentary on the subject you’re writing about? If I’m stuck on plot, I’ll find a documentary about firefighters, or SEALs or even watch a show featuring the job of one of my characters. If I’m needing thematic inspiration, I go to a sermon. If I’m looking for history…the history channel. There is SO MUCH out there for us to tap into these days…use your research vehicles.
• If you have a day or so, then read a non-fiction book! I love memoirs about the kind of people in my stories, (currently, I’m reading about Alaskan Bush pilots!) Travel memoirs are also great, as are biographies. I’ve even been known to read the Encyclopedia of Survival Techniques!
• If you have a weekend, or longer, then pull out a novel. You can either read IN your genre, to get ideas, or if you’re really stuck, maybe go outside your genre and expand your ideas. I love heading to my fantasy shelf on my bookcase for fresh ideas. It’ll inspire your plot ideas, as well as your wordsmithing.

Bonus…sometimes, I just need to stop and READ through my novel. That will help me see where I am and focus where I’m going.

At the end of the day, just sit down and start writing. Even if it’s bad…just tell yourself you’ll go back and fix it!

You can do this. Your story matters—not just to you, but to the world. You never know whose life it will touch. It’s worth getting unstuck!

Have a great writing week. Go! Write something brilliant!

Susie May

P.S. Are you a Hall of Famer?

My Book Therapy and its online writing school, Novel Academy, are putting together the MBT Writing Hall of Fame! We are so excited to celebrate our authors who have worked hard to achieve their publishing dreams.

Submit your own information and share with someone you know whose career has benefited from a My Book Therapy workshop, retreat, a class from one of our teachers, or Novel Academy membership. Qualifications are based on novel publication, either with a traditional publisher or a qualified independently published novel. For a QIP novel, please share proof of a combined total of $4000 in earnings in a 12-month period.

Submissions will be reviewed and inductees will be contacted. And celebrations scheduled!

Come on, let’s celebrate the wins! We look forward to seeing all of you there one day!