Now what?

I don't know about you, but somewhere between "The Disturbance" and "The Plan" I lost my writing momentum.  I was super pumped at the end of January during our first few weeks of screenwriting class. Now, I find myself drifting through the day with little or no creative energy.  So, what do I do?

Option 1: Rent a few Redbox DVDs and complain about the crappy writing or
Option 2: Find a muse or creative approach and start writing again.

Here's my solution:

- Write even when I don't want to.
- Set aside a specific time to write every day.
- Write whatever comes to mind.
- Avoid editing my writings.

Now, before you think that I am some type of writing genius that has just solved the problems of every writer. I have to admit that I receive these instructions from my "Basics of Writing a Novel" instructor.  She suggested that we read, "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. In this book, Cameron provides a 12-step program to awakening our individual creative spirit.  One of the first techniques Cameron suggests is the idea of "Morning Pages".  This concept is pretty clear and straight to the point. Find a time with the least amount of distractions before you become bombarded with work, school, or other activities to write. The idea is to write three pages without stopping to think about what it is you're writing.  What you write during this process is private. I have been keeping a journal for several years now, so writing in the morning or throughout the day is not foreign to me. Before trying Cameron's approach, I would write a few lines or a few pages depending on my mood. Now, I place a book mark between page 1 and page three. Some days I write some pretty interesting stories. Some days I simply complain about not having enough information to fill the three pages, but no matter how much complain I still find myself at page three.

So, try morning pages (or evening or night whatever your preference) for a few days to see if the exercise wakes up the creative writer within you.

Happy Writing!!