Think. Thought. Thunk.

I sit here. I sit here staring at this blank screen. For the first time in a very long time, I am uncertain about what to write. I didn't really pick a theme for my blog. It's more a rambling of writings that I hope people will find humorous, helpful, and/or happy. We have such a wide range of subject matter at our fingertips to blog about...yet even so, it can be a daunting task at times. And, even if ones blog has a central theme, writers block can still occur. Therefore, my problem has just turned into my solution! I thought it might be helpful to share some of my tactics for combating the blank page. They are pretty common, so maybe they won’t be as useful as I hope, but you never know.

One technique I’ve used in the past has been writing my stream of consciousness. Just sit down and begin to write, and don’t stop for at least three minutes (or whatever time you see fit). Whatever comes into your brain, write it down. It doesn’t have to make sense or contain proper punctuation at this point. The main purpose is to get some ideas flowing. Another useful strategy is to keep a small notebook on hand. It’s helpful for jotting down ideas as they come to you. Nowadays I use the notepad on my cell phone too. Sometimes it’s just important to remember to get up and walk around for a while or work on a separate project, then come back to the page and see if your writer’s block has gone. Mind maps are another useful tool, and one that is often used to grow ideas for design as well.  I love mind maps because they allow you to draw connections you otherwise might have missed. It's a nice visual representation of thought processes. I hope these are helpful! Maybe you have a few of your own to add!