Guest Post: 5 Ways to Get Out of a Writing Rut

Today’s guest post is from Hawaii-based freelance writer Brandi-Ann Uyemura. She specializes in self-help, spirituality, writing and small-business topics. Check out her bio at the end of this post. Thanks so much for contributing, Brandi!

In a writing slump? Go from rut to groove with a few unexpected ways to stir up excitement, enthusiasm and inspiration.

1. Increase your vocabulary.Writing can become mundane even for the writing enthusiast. And when you’re bored, your readers are bored. Mix it up by expanding your vocab list. Check out This site, which teaches words like, “argute,” and “snudge.” You might not use every word you learn in your next manuscript, but the exercise will force you to spend time outside the box.
2. Read voraciously.I’m reading a dozen different things right now, from a fiction book to a decorating magazine. Varying my reading list helps me grow as a writer. The more you read, the more inspired you’ll be to write uniquely.
3. Return to children’s books.I am a children’s-book lover at heart. I still remember grabbing a chocolate bar when devouring Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and how my heart leapt from my chest as I read A Wrinkle in Time. Wonder and magic resides in all children’s books. When I’m feeling jaded, I return back to my first love.
4. Make time to play.There’s nothing like overworking to kill the creative muse. I sometimes forget this when I have multiple deadlines vying for my attention. But eventually I’ll burn out. That doesn’t make for a very happy me. I need time for doing the fun stuff. Painting, playing with my son and biking are vital for my writing as well as my health and wellbeing.
5. Write for fun.Sure writing is serious stuff! Clients are relying on you. Your editor is depending on you to produce consistently accurate and entertaining articles. There are a lot of people with a lot of opinions riding on your ability to create and produce. With that being said, if you only write for others, you’ll start to resent putting fingers to your keyboard or pen to paper. Spend a few days a week carving out time to write something just for you; a poem, a handwritten letter, an entry in a journal. Use writing as a healing tool, a chance to reconnect with your deepest desire, a way to write freely without a critic or editor. Do it and your writing as a whole will blossom as a result.

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Brandi-Ann Uyemura has been a columnist for The Writer magazine and Beliefnet. You can find her writing about psychology on Psych Central and her tips for small businesses on Intuit’s Web site. Visit her writing blog at brandi-annuyemura.com.