Shaking Up Your Writing Routine

Rather than posting a prompt today, I'm going to attempt to write an actual writing post. *Gasp*. The girl who never finishes stories is going to advise other writers on how to do what she sometimes can't even do herself? Yep. You got it - and I do not yet consider myself a hypocrite. Not yet. Anyway, to day I'm going to talk briefly about shaking up your writing routing.*

*Note: I have found that developing a writing routine has been a wonderful, wonderful thing. Perhaps I'll share about that in a future post.

One of the great things about being a writer is that you can pretty much do what you do anywhere you like, and you don't have to have all that many resources to do it. These little perks make it easier to breathe fresh air into your writing. But... why would you ever need to do that?

Have you ever had one of those days when you sit down to write and all of a sudden you realize that you've been staring at the page/screen for a good ten minutes without having written/typed anything? Maybe this never happens to you, or maybe it the story of your writing life. To the writer who has never experienced this, I'm happy for you. Give it time, though. I'm 98% sure it will come. To  the writer who can just power right through this, I applaud you. To the writer who get stunned by that blank space, I'd like to encourage you to try something new. 



Now, let's get down to business. Sometimes you need to shake up your writing routine. Writing can be difficult and, at times, extremely monotonous. Monotony drains me, y'all. I don't like it and I can't handle it. Please don't misunderstand me, here. I'm a fan of developing routines, but when a routine becomes super tedious, creativity is often considerably stifled. Thus, I suggest breaking the monotony within your writing routine. How, you may ask? Well... Try one of these methods and see what happens:

1. Change your scenery. Just today, I found myself scoping out what looked like it might be a cool place to write. By the way, I've found that living on a college campus makes this pretty easy. Sometimes changing your scenery can help your writing tremendously. If you normally write at your desk, take it to the living room, the kitchen, or the back porch. If you normally write at home, take a trip to a local coffee shop or library. 
2. Change your material. I usually write everything on my laptop because it's convenient and easy to print off and proofread. Many people find this to be the case. However, I've found that sometimes it helps me to actually write out my ideas. There's just something about seeing my own words in my own handwriting (goofy as my half-print/half cursive handwriting is) that connects me to what I've written. If you're stuck, maybe you should give it a try. If you normally use a computer to write, buy a writing tablet (as in paper, not an electronic tablet) and a nice pen. Even better, buy a pretty notebook and some colorful pens! I'm such a girl. Anyway, the same advice goes to those who normally write your ideas out. Find a computer and type them out. Seeing your words "in print" can give you a delightful sense of accomplishment.
3. Change your medium. This one, you may balk at. I know I did. At one point in my life, I had my heart set on writing a book. I still do, to an extent. However... I had a slight change of heart when I read "How to Write a Short Story" from SparkNotes Ultimate Style and tried my hand at short stories. I found that the medium that I'd once considered to be a copout is actually quite challenging in its own respect. I now happen to LOVE short stories and am currently working on one at the moment. I know this may not be for everyone. If you've spent forever studying the craft in terms of one medium, you may find it hard to try something new. I get that, but as scary as it may be, you never know what you could potentially unlock if you do give it a shot. My only caution is to not put too much pressure on yourself. I wouldn't recommend that a poet strike out trying to write the next great American novel. Try a short story, instead. Novelists and short story writers, novellas are a great in-between for y'all. Remember, this is about changing your writing routine in hopes of reinvigorating your writing.
4. Change your genre. Was #3 a bit too much for some of you? If so, try something a little less drastic -like a different genre. Again, you don't have to make a huge leap. Start with a little shift. Romance writers, add some suspense or a create a mystery to solve. Something like that. Historical writers, move your time frame a decade or two forward or backward. See what happens.
5. Change your approach. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Lol. If you're clearly one or the other, you might want to try the opposite approach of what you're used to. If you like to plot, try winging a few pages/paragraphs (if you're exploring a new medium, this is a great place to try). If you just write by the seat of your pants without having a plan or outline, try to create one. It doesn't have to be all that detailed. It can simply be a summary like you'd see on the back cover or a book.   

You never know what effect a small change might have in your writing life. You could just fall in love with a new technique, medium, or genre! I did. If nothing else, these exercises may simply help you come to appreciate your usual writing methods. That being said, what do you have to lose?

I'm sure these aren't the only things you can do to reinvigorate your writing, but they've certainly helped me get though a few slumps here and there. What about you? What are some things you do break the monotony and overcome your writing slumps?