by Melissa Tagg, @Melissa_Tagg

Many of us have been there: In that sort of blah, beige place where we’ve been writing for quite awhile (published or not) and our creative spark just, well, isn’t there . . . 

We all know the ol’ “Just put your butt in the chair and write!” admonition coupled with the familiar “You can’t wait for inspiration!” refrain. And, yeah, sometimes you really can’t wait for inspiration. A deadline is breathing down your neck and you simply don’t have the flexibility to close your laptop with a huff and go take a walk instead. For those of you in that situation right now, please feel free to ignore this blog. In fact, I’m not really sure why you’re reading this—you’re supposed to be writing! Lol!

But if you are in a place where you’re not contracted or your deadline is nice and far away or you’re an indie author who sets your own deadlines . . . if you’re in one of those spots you’re your creative oomph has gone missing, I want you to know a) you’re oh so not alone and b) it is oh so worth it to take the time and space to let your writerly well fill up again . . . so that you’re writing from a place of overflowing creativity versus emptiness.

Sometimes, truly, all you need is time. And rest. Some long walks, some journaling and prayer and you’re good to go.

But other times you might need to intentionally go searching for your spark. In that case, I want to offer two very simple, fun tips:

1. READ something new: I know, obvi, right? But seriously, I’m often at my most creatively energetic when I read someone else’s amazing book—especially if it’s a book that surprises me. I love it when a book so astounds me that not only is my reader side enticed, but my writer cylinders start firing like c-r-a-z-y. I’d recommend reading something that’s not in your usual reading and/or writing genre, maybe something you might not have picked up otherwise, to help with the surprise factor.

A book that did that for me recently is Dearest Josephine by Caroline George. It was so creative and just completely took me by surprise—not so much because of any crazy plot twist (though there were twists) but because it was so different than anything else I was reading at the time and so well done. I found myself thinking over and over, “I just want to write something this unique and this enthralling!” It helped me remember that writing is fun . . . and made me itch to take my own storytelling in a new direction.

2. DO something new: I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can get so tunnel vision-y with writing and books that I forget that the best stories often find us when we’re not looking for them . . . when we’re living well-rounded lives filled with people and other purposes and passions.

I think we’re able to draw most deeply from our own well when we’re making time to experience life . . . to experience new things! We aren’t always going to be able to just pick up a new hobby or travel somewhere new—life is busy, of course—but when we can, when we can make space for new experiences, I think it can only help us as writers.

Right now, I’m very close to finishing a kitchen remodel. At the beginning of the process, I almost hired someone to paint my cupboards . . . but then, in a burst of determination, I decided to take on the project myself. And, um, it has not been easy. Or gone really at all as planned. But oh my goodness, in all the weeks of work . . . I have felt so weirdly good. I’ve had multiple hilarious instances that might make it into books . . . I’ve learned new things . . . and in conquering something new, something that has its own sort of creative angle, the storyteller in me feels energized in a new way.

(Plus, I’ve had a LOT of time to brainstorm as I sand . . . and fill hardware holes with putty . . . and sand again . . . and prime . . . and paint and paint and paint. Sidenote: In addition to feeling inspired, if you’d also like to feel kinda cool, buy a paint sprayer and teach yourself to use it. I don’t know why but that handy little machine had me feeling like a mix of Bob Vila and Bob Ross on steroids.)

I know, those are pretty simple, broad tips. But they work! Reading a book you might not normally gravitate toward, doing something new and challenging…they just do something to your brain. They give you needed space . . . and then they slowly fill that space with ideas and energy and eventually, that spark that will relight your writing frame.

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Autumn by the Sea

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.

If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter.

Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that’s messier than ever. Together, they’re pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea.

Melissa Tagg is the USA Today bestselling, Christy Award-winning author of swoony and hope-filled small-town contemporary romances, including the Muir Harbor series, the Maple Valley series, and the Walker Family series. She’s also a former reporter, current nonprofit marketing strategist, and total Iowa girl. Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as workshops and women’s retreats. When she’s not happily lost in someone else’s book or plugging away her own, she can be found spoiling her nieces and nephews and daydreaming about her next fictional hero. Connect with Melissa at melissatagg.com.