We’re already more than a third of the way through NaNoWriMo and the clock is ticking! If, like me, your writing time is squeezed into the spaces between work, bath time with the small one and the other myriad distractions life throws at you, you might be finding it tough to get into the flow.

Alternatively, you may have blasted through the first 15,000 words, but have now hit a wall, the blank page challenging you to figure out what comes next.

Wherever you are, it’s always a good time to take stock, take a breath, and regain some of that excitement you felt on the 1^st November. Below are my ten tips, in no particular order, for doing exactly that.

1. Go for a walk. This may seem an obvious idea, but almost all of my ideas come when I’m wandering the woods near my home, or when I’m travelling. The time that they rarely come is when I’m sat in front of my computer, hands poised above the keyboard. It is however, difficult to convince yourself that going out for a walk can be valuable to your writing. Stepping away from the word count and changing your environment can make your brain work entirely differently. There may even be some form of coffee or cake somewhere on your walk, which might also help with the inspiration. Having said that, see #9 below!
2. Find new Paths. If, like me, you tend to ‘pants it’ most of the time, what feels like writers’ block can actually be that you’ve forgotten why you went in a particular direction. If you’re feeling like you’ve hit a dead end, go back to the original concept of the book, be it a detailed mind map or a napkin, and explore it. Decide whether your book is still going in the right direction. It may mean deleting the last thousand words, but in the long run it will almost always be an improvement, and get you writing again.
3. Free Yourself. I have an advantage here, because I write fantasy, but I think that it’s relevant for everyone. There are no rules in writing, except that you write what you want to. Most genres have conventions, but if you view them like that, as guidelines only and instead focus on what the story wants, you can find solutions to pretty much anything. Similarly, your original plan may have been stymied by one of your characters, who decided to do something different from the plan. Let your characters rule and go with them, rather than stressing that you can’t fit what just happened into your original plan. Speaking of which…
4. Engage with your Characters. In almost any good story, the characters will drive what happens. You need to care about them and be inside their heads. If you’re finding plotting is dragging you down, reconnect with your characters. You can create fact files for them; write their diary for a few days; describe them from the POV of their children/boss/partner and so on. Anything that helps you to understand what they would do in any situation, and why.
5. Listen to music. I’ve got another post upcoming about this in more detail, but music, along with smell has to be for me the most powerful trigger for mood and feelings. Find some music that creates pictures and transports you somewhere and just sit and listen to it. (unless you want to dance, which is fine. Actually, depends upon where you are. If you write in your local coffee shop, maybe stick with the sitting.) Let the music move you in the same way as a great story and rediscover your muse.
6. Talk to Someone. You can talk about anything (family, work, interesting diseases), but try at some point to tell someone about your writing. Describe your story and characters and describe why you do it. Try to express the passion you have that makes you sit down every day and actually write. Reconnecting with this passion may well break that deadlock.
7. Write something different. Despite the deep-rooted need to meet that word count, taking a day out to write something new can be hugely refreshing. Pick something really manageable, say 500 words and a title entirely outside of what you normally do, ‘Chase That Monkey’ or ‘Why carrots are evil’, and have some fun. Also, push yourself to write it differently. Normally verbose? Keep it as simple as you can. Always write in the first person? Go for third person. Stretch yourself with no bigger agenda than having fun.
8. Use a Timer. Often, just grinding something out can help with your sense of achievement. Sit in your chair, choose a word count (something short) and set your stopwatch, maybe 20 minutes. Then just write. Try to entirely disconnect with your inner critic that says ‘what you are writing sucks’ and just do it. The writing muscle atrophies so quickly, so doing something every day will soon get it working again.
9. Eat well and sleep well. It seems obvious, but writing when I’ve had the small one trampolineing on my head from half four in the morning is considerably harder than after I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Equally, though less obvious, when I’m eating crap it just doesn’t flow as well. Look after yourself.
10. Big yourself up. You know that you can do this, and often just reminding yourself of that can make all the difference. Try reading something you’ve previously written that you like. If you’re already published, dig out that screen grab of your book appearing on the Amazon best-seller/NYT best-seller/greatest novel written in Amersham in May 2012 list and revel in a little self-congratulation.

If any of these have inspired I’d love to hear from you, and if you have any other handy inspiration tips, please share them below!

Cheers

Mike