There are some days when I’m in a real funk about writing so I’ve put this list together of what helps get me going, what tricks I can do to overcome the dreaded blank page.

Number 1: Write on a laptop, edit on a desktop

There’s something about the smaller screen that lets me silence the editor in my head. I’ve found that if I write on a laptop, I’m able to write quicker and more prolifically than if I was writing on a desktop. I’ve got a big screen desktop so I can see most of a chapter all at once, which means going back and looking at what I’ve written. I can’t edit while I write, which I think is true for most people.

Number 2: I like it quick and dirty

This relates to the first point. Embracing the quick, embracing the dirty, means not caring about what’s gone before and not caring about what’s going to come up ahead. If I stop to question what I’ve written, then I may as well call it a day. As Hemingway said, “Write drunk, edit sober.”

Number 3: Small steps help

When I don’t feel like writing, I can usually coax myself into the zone by saying I just have to do five minutes. Kind of like a parent telling a kid to eat their vegetables (“You just have to have one pea. Go on, you’ll like it. Just one.”), writing for an initial five-minute period is enough to get me going. It also falls into the “toughen up, princess” area. “You can’t write for five minutes? You call yourself a writer?” Yeah, just like that.

Number 4: Trance music is a great motivator

I love uplifting trance music. If I put something really good on, then the emotions from the song (the music as well as the lyrics) kicks me into gear and turns me from a lifeless lump into a dewy-eyed, euphoria-hungry trance fiend. The beat kicks up and I’m away. At the moment, I’m really getting a lot out of Above and Beyond’s Group Therapy podcasts. Check them out. They’re free on iTunes.

Number 5: Success is an even greater motivator

I want this. No one else is going to do it for me and every day I’m writing is a day closer to my goal. I just need to keep telling myself that. Simple.

Do you have any pointers that help you get into the writing zone?