Maybe you've been lucky and never drawn a blank when sitting down to write. But if you're like me (and most people), you've sat and stared. And sat. And looked up prompts. And doodled. And refreshed your coffee. Or tea. Or water. Or whiskey. You've told yourself, "Go!" then stared numbly at the screen.
So you surfed the net, checked and deleted email. Answered the phone. Did the dishes. Dreamed up fanciful and creative menus for your family that you'll never make. And decided to go to bed early (or late).
And promised yourself that tomorrow you'll get something down.
If this is sounding a little too familiar, I have a trick that helps when you find yourself thinking, "I have nothing to write about."
I'm going to describe it as it relates to poetry, but it could be used with any genre. Plus poetry has a great unsticking power. I've learned when I'm stuck with nothing for my fiction, writing poetry can help shake things loose.
Ready for the trick? Here it is:
Write the opposite.
I know. You're thinking, "Write the opposite of what?!"
Let me explain...
Take a poem - any poem. It can be one you've written, it can be a classic, it can be one you love, or one you hate.
Go through it line by line and write the opposite of whatever the sentiment is in that line.
Here's an example using Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken:"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both ....
To write the opposite, I could do something like this:
In the purpled woods, two roads collided and glad was I to find the path so clear ....
That is an off-the-cuff example that could use (a lot) of work. Regardless, it demonstrates what I mean. At least I hope it does!
To complete the exercise, I'd go through every line. If all of sudden in the middle of this task something sparks and I'm inspired, I might drop the exercise and run with my new idea. If not, I'd keep at it, line by line. Then revise and make changes, look for better words and better imagery.
And at the end of the day, I'll have a poem. Maybe.
At the very least, I'll have made good use of the day and worked my creative muscles. Writing the opposite it harder than it sounds. It forces you to be creative, look for ways to describe emotions, places, and people. And it can result in some phenomenal poetry!
Don't believe me? Give it a try!
And let me know what you think.
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