This guest post is by Laura Pepper Wu. Laura is a writer and book marketing pro, editor at The Write Life Magazine: a lifestyle magazine for those of us who write, and the co-founder of the fantastically helpful 30 Day Books. You can (and should) follow Laura on Twitter at @LauraPepWu.

Although many people believe the best way to battle writers block is to sit down and fight through it, I like to kick-start things with an activity that lights me up, gets me giddy, and puts me in the right place to write my best stuff.

Jazzercise

Here are sixteen activities that can help you tap into the creative part of the brain and get you jazzed to put pen to paper. Many of them are completely unrelated to writing, but in my experience that’s the best way to beat writers’ block. Bookmark it for the next time you’re out of creative juice!

1. Tackle that problem area in your home. The icky kitchen floor, the less than dazzling-clean fridge, the drawer that desperately needs organizing. Cleaning something ‘til it sparkles white can truly set the tone for a productive and refreshed few hours of creativity.

2. Do something extremely generous. Call an overly busy friend and ask her what she needs from the shops today. Offer to babysit for an hour for your stressed out neighbor this weekend. Go drop off that killer dress to the friend who has a wedding to attend this weekend. Generosity is calming and uplifting. Practicing generosity regularly deserves our attention and helps us get out of our own minds for a few minutes.

3. Walk or drive to your nearest independently owned coffee shop. Order your favorite hot beverage, make interesting conversation with your barista, and leave a generous tip. Return home with caffeine, a smile, and triple the energy to write!

4. Use your hands to make something awesome. A card for your niece, a flower arrangement for your Ma, scones for your colleagues. Experimenting with your hands taps into your creativity and helps you get centered.

5. Throw all that unnecessary stuff out—books, clothes, magazines, CDs you never listen to, take-out fliers. Recycle. Notice how refreshing the cleanse feels.

6. Stretch, just ike you used to in gym school. You’ll feel waves of energy flow right through you.

7. Get three ugly things you’ve been dreading doing out of the way. Pay that bill. Reply to that email. Cancel that subscription. Enjoy the small achievements and clear up mind-space for fantastic ideas to pour in.

8. Try a brain-dump on 750words.com. 750 words of drivel, for no-one else to see but yourself. Now that’s out of the way, start writing the good stuff.

9. Music. Tune into a genre that you once loved but barely listen to anymore. TuneinFM has stellar reggae, jazz, and 60s soul stations. Dancing is optional, but highly recommended!

10. Be someone’s anonymous angel today. Order the book your friend really needs to read right now and drop it off at his door. Buy a stressed out relative a gift voucher and send it anonymously. Do a chore your spouse usually dreads and don’t mention it.

11. Email an author you love and admire, and tell them what you love about their work. Let them know specifically how it has impacted you. Don’t expect a reply; simply express your gratitude. Hitting send is optional.

12. Go somewhere you’ve never been before but have always been curious about. Head to that park, library, or café you always drive past, and take your pen and paper. Delight in the adventure, and notice how new environments awaken your senses.

13. Spend fifteen minutes looking over an old photo album of happy memories, online or off. Relish in the good times, lighten up and laugh. Close that file, and get to work.

14. Shower, put on some lipstick or aftershave, and get ridiculously dressed up for no reason. Make a huge pot of tea or coffee, sit at your desk, and fantasize that you’re Virginia Woolf or Ernest Hemingway. What would they do right now? Write!

15. Read a chapter of your absolutely favorite, life-changing, earth-shattering novel. Close it, take five, and go pen your own masterpiece.

16. I’ve saved the best ‘til last, because this one never fails: Rain or shine, head out in nature, walk for twenty minutes, and breathe. Go home and write your little toosh off.

There you have it. Any other red-hot energizing ideas you’d like to invite to the party?

PRACTICE

Now over to you! Today, do one of these sixteen inspiration-guaranteed exercises. Then, get writing! Afterward, let us know how the exercise (and the writing that followed) went in the comments section.

Happy writing!

This article is by a guest blogger. Would you like to write for The Write Practice? Check out our guest post guidelines.

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