Writing Tip of the Day - Clear Your Mind

As noted in the comments section, some of the writing tips also apply to other aspects of life. I think today's tip will, too.

There are days when I get up and the words just won't come. I'm staring at a blank screen and I've got nothing. It's annoying, it's frightening and it's very stressful, especially when I'm on a deadline.

But...at least some of the time (a lot of the time), I realize this "failure to write" is because my mind is on other things (other obligations, upcoming appointments or just things I need to remember and am afraid I'll forget). I've found that one way to clear my mind for writing is simply to take out a piece of paper (or several sheets of paper) and write down all the things that have been nagging at me. I'll make a To Do list, a Don't Forget list, a Things to Think About Later list, even a What's On My Mind list (What is with those double rainbows, anyway? Or what am I doing craving chocolate at 8 AM? :-D ). The truth is that I may never look at these lists or scraps of thoughts again, but just knowing that I've gotten them down in hard copy form relieves me of the fear that I may forget something and clears my mind a bit. That frees me to focus on the book and to devote myself fully to writing.

Happy Writing (or working, playing, enjoying the day)!