We might have practiced with setting daily intentions for creating. We have long-term and short-term goals, perhaps even mapped out on a calendar. So we know, and are used to, the flow of creative juices. Today may seem no different, but the paper is blank. There is no movie on the screen in our head. Now what?

When we are in the flow, in the moment, there are few bumps and potholes in the road. Or, if there are, we seem more equipped to deal with them. But what happens when the bottom falls out of a project?

We have all been there, staring at a blank screen for hours, not knowing if we will ever get that article or book written. This article lists five things that every writer can do to get those creative juices flowing and fill up all of that empty space on the screen.

You have a great idea for that breakout novel or an Oscar-winning screenplay, but you can’t afford MS Office, Final Draft or one of the more expensive software programs, well join the club. Like most writes just starting out the pocketbook is a little lean in the beginning so this article lists a few of my favorite free or almost free writing programs for beginners.

Our senses not only collect what is around us in the environment, but also demand things from us as we attempt to do our art. Some writers prefer to create in the same place, with a familiar chair, their favorite drink, perhaps some classical music on in the background, or complete silence.

Ghostwriting. Interesting concept. Writing someone else’s story. Their images, ideas, and thoughts, melded with a writer who has only dealt with the pictures in their own mind. However, to pick the details from another’s experience might be challenging. Challenge encourages us to push the envelope a bit, see what we can do with something, leading us to discover a little more about ourselves and our capacity.

Napoleon Hill said, “The start of all achievement is desire.” Appropriate for those who desire to write a book. And according to surveys, 83% of all Americans believe they have a book inside of them. Perhaps people say this to an author because part of them wants to have a sounding board, someone who would listen to their idea and not think it is impossible. The other part of them look at artists with awe and curiosity.

How do you create believable fictional characters? What’s the best way to develop strong characters? Don’t get mad, get sadistic: start inflicting tortures on your characters, and see how they grow!

There’s something private about one’s vehicle, just as there is about a woman’t purse or a man’s wallet. We have our own set radio stations, the various cubby holes where we carry stuff, and if we like our windows open or not. To take someone somewhere, even just to the grocery store, means we must invite them into our private domain.

There are so many experiences that I think I would be hard pressed to recollect enough of the details to record it, even for just posterity. But, what if I continue to ask myself about the situations and circumstances throughout my life? Would it offer some insight? Some clarity? There is something intriguing regarding reminiscing past events. Stories are retold to remember and to reconnect.

It’s my quest to not only present an entertaining story, and one that perhaps challenges a reader’s opinions, but also to assist them in creating in their minds a picture as close to the one I had in mine when the words first spilled onto the page. The way I’ve found that supports that ideal is word choice.

I’ve thought about how and where people might find creative inspiration. For some of us who surrender to the pushing, poking, or drive to express that which moves through us, it comes from everywhere. People we meet, activities we participate in, the objects in our environment, thoughts about how to change something, our experiences, and for some, the ether.