Monday morning mind melt-down. The alarm sounds, and I jolt awake. I feel as if I lay down to sleep only moments ago. The weekend left me exhausted, and family matters, world concerns, and life’s barrage of curveballs elevate my everyday worries and my stress levels. Sigh. I have tricks to kick-start my writing process.

Step 1: Coffee, steamy hot, and lots of it.

Step 2: Strap myself to the seat of my chair. It is far too easy to heed the call of dirty dishes, unmade beds, piles of laundry, and the dust accumulating on top of the fridge. Perhaps I should polish those streaky windows, or vacuum clean the upholstery? Boy, this armchair is heavy. Ah, yes, I am writing now.

Step 3: Turn off all social media. I don’t enjoy realizing I have spent the last hour running mindlessly through a maze of fascinating and non-productive rabbit holes.

Step 4: Reread what I wrote yesterday and maybe doodle some additional ideas. Here it is, NO editing. I love reviewing sentences, reorganizing paragraphs, and tweaking my word choices, but that must wait for another day.

Step 5: Write something, anything, be it nonsense or a crazy notion. I let my notes, a random thought, or a compelling phrase gleaned from my daily review lead the way. Just starting is often enough to make words appear on the page.

What tricks help you kick-start your daily writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer