Write down any ideas:

         Take the opportunity to write down anything that inspires you. Invest in a notebook to record them. You never know if these snippets will lead to a great story idea. My ideas hit at the most inopportune moment like when I’m cooking at the barbeque, singeing off my eyebrows as nine people look on. I have many blank notebooks but end up scribbling the idea down on a newspaper, the electricity bill, or the grocery list.

Plan a writing schedule:

         If your muse has packed its bags, consider setting a schedule to write every day at a specific time. Somewhere quiet with no distractions, and apparently, you can only drink water. With this type of environment, you can focus and increase the creative output. I have tried this tip for many years and after a few calculations, I figure the best time to write is midnight. After setting up the schedule, the experts say that the best way to find the muse is to write every day. This doesn’t work for me either. I’ll be set to write at the computer and all fired up to go, and the page stays that way for a long time – blank. For some reason, I can’t be inspired by a blinking cursor.

Throw perfection to the curb:

         The key here is not to put too much pressure on yourself and to just write. If this is your first writing endeavor, it’s not going to be perfect. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes – they can be fixed. Get the story out of your head and keep writing until you’re done. Always remember that as a writer, you’re the one who controls the story, so it’s best not to have any outside influence. The story is unique to only you. Great advice, but I can’t follow it until I’m inspired to write. You can be guaranteed it will be about an animal of some sort.

Get in touch with nature:

         Going for a walk and looking at nature can help replenish your energy and inspire you to write. This is a wonderful idea. There are trails in a conservation area where I live. I can visualize it all now. I’ll start walking and be happy to take in the sights of the huge trees and the birds singing around me. I will then trip over a large tree root, roll down a small embankment and hurt my wrist. I guess I might be inspired to write about that adventure – once the wrist heals.