By: Sarah K.


            You have an impending deadline. You've got the perfect characters, setting, and plot, but you sit down to write, and can't get any words to come. Maybe you've already started or maybe you've written yourself into a hole and can't get out, here are some tips to move that block in your way.

· Talk to someone
            Parents, a friend, or even a sibling, talk to them. Usually just talking to them on what you're stuck on will help you out a lot. They could give you one or 20 different thoughts that could get your ideas flowing too!

·         Go outside
            When you have some part of a story you're writing that you just can't move forward on, try going outside. If it's a walk, running around the yard, or even just sitting on the doorstep, it can be really helpful. Getting outside and getting fresh air might give you a new perspective.

·         Brainstorm
            Hey, it could be "Good ol' Joe down the street takes a ride on a unicorn," but still, that could be useful when crazy Joe falls off his unicorn and needs some equally crazy direction to go in later! Having a place to keep random ideas is actually pretty good to have, and just writing one idea down can spark 16 more.

·         Write one sentence per day

            Writing at least one sentence per day can actually give you a starting point for more! One also gets something done, even when you don't feel motivated. It could be about a strange nightmare you get at three a.m. or that weird scene that played out at the pool.

·         Write from a different scene
            If you're writing on a computer, you can always come back later to that part you're stuck on. Try writing from a different scene instead of the one that has you blocked.

·         Find weird objects
      Sounds kind of strange, right? Go around your house and pick up weird items (as long as whoever owns them says it's okay) and think about what they are. Could that be a water-tester, a tower, or a weapon?

·         Story cubes
      You see them in some stores you go to, right? They are useful for writing (as advertised) random stories.

·         Story-starter pictures
      Search for them. You might find a creepy old house's exterior, a bridge, or a strange landscape. Think of what a story could be set there or that has a scene with that area.

·         One liners
      Almost all of us has begun a story with "It was a dark and stormy night..." or something like that. Try using one of those.

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