6 Tricks to Get Your Writing Juices Flowing

Try one of these tricks the next time you find yourself staring at a blank computer screen. (Photo source: Pixabay)

1. Keep a running story format document.
   List all of the types of articles you use — or would like to use — for your given publication. Think: How to, Q&A, by the numbers, do’s and don’ts, problem/solution, etc. Pull this list out the next time you need some inspiration for organizing a new assignment.
2. Start with the second paragraph.
   Often it’s hard to get started with the intro for a story. If this happens to you, skip to the meat of the piece you’re writing about. Then go back and write the introduction after you have a good feel for where the article is going.
3. Turn your audience into one person.
   Writing to a specific person is easier than writing for a wide, general audience. When thinking about your target audience — say, adult pulmonology patients — bring to mind an image of what that person looks like and what they would be most interested in. What would George from Atlanta want to know about this topic? What’s most important to him? Use that as fuel to get your message going.
4. Work backward.
   This is similar to starting with the second paragraph, but write the conclusion first. When you have an idea of how you want to wrap up a story, it often helps clarify how to get started.
5. Set a timer and and go.
   The crucial point here is to not let yourself stray from writing until the timer goes off. When I do this, I often get on such a roll that I’ll keep writing past my original allotted time. Or, if it’s a particularly rough piece, it’s cause for a little self-high-five and well-deserved break when that timer dings.
6. Create a rough outline.
   There’s a reason why your teachers taught you outlining. It works. My outlines today would not get great grades — they’re super rough, and sometimes unfinished. But just jotting down a few ideas I want to cover in a story can get me going with how I want to start a piece. This is probably the trick I use most often.

Check It Out: Grammar Girl

Mignon Fogarty and her Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing are one of my go-to’s when it comes to writing resources. While she has hundreds of podcast episodes full of grammar tips and writing-related discussions, I tend to use her Quick and Dirty Tips website most often.

It’s a great spot for checking to make sure you’re using lie vs lay correctly, or if you need to use a comma around an appositive. (Or, let’s be real, if you need to remind yourself of what an appositive is.)

Happy grammaring!

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• Do you ever have a hard time getting started with your writing?
• What tricks do you use to get those writing juices flowing?
• When was the last time you went bowling?

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