Help! I don't know what to write

Staring at a blank page and not knowing what to write is one of the most frustrating exercises for a writer.

Hopefully, you've got a notebook filled with observations, ideas, news items, anything that has caught your interest. This is the time to pull it out and see if any of the ideas give you something to work with.

And if that doesn't work, what else can you try?

One of my favourite exercises when I'm stuck is to practice free writing. I put on some music that makes me feel inspired. (Research shows Baroque music stimulates creativity) A favourite is the Four Seasons, or I love Amici and Il Divo to write to. With the music playing, I open a blank page, and start typing - anything that comes into my mind, until it starts to coalesce into something and ideas begin to flow. Sometimes it starts with complete drivel and then a story begins. Sometimes, I only have a few good descriptions that I can use in something else. Usually, it helps me get unblocked and settled into writing something.

Many writers sites, and a few books give you prompts - these are ideas and titles, or situations which you can use to create stories. Try some of the links below for ideas:

https://www.writersdigest.com/prompts

https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/

https://awesomewritingprompts.tumblr.com/

If you're trying to write a scene, and can't get the description right, a really good prompt is to draw it with your non dominant hand in crayon. The idea is not to try and draw perfectly, but rather to use it as a way to jolt memory. So if you're a lefty, draw with your right hand.

Best of all, make sure you keep a notebook with your prompts, the ideas that come to you. Collect newspaper articles that pique your interest, write down first lines that inspire you, and descrptions and thoughts that pop into your mind.