I’ve talked about how it’s easier to keep going if you are already writing…but how do you restart if you’re stuck?

Here are eight tricks that work for me (your mileage will vary).

1. I get up at 4 or 5 AM to write. The higher functioning parts of my brain are off when I plop down at the keyboard at this insane hour. Sometimes I start to write before procrastination kicks in.
2. Coffee, in small bursts can overcome inertia. Too much is bad. Trust me; I was at once drinking 16 cups a day. Not good. I’m down to 4-6 cups.
3. Chocolate. Sugar rush and endorphin-like chemicals. Pimples and sugar crash to contend with.
4. Exercise. Blood to brain = a good thing.
5. Music. Eight out of ten times music will get me going. I’ll even construct play lists for certain projects or characters which I’ll then listen to whenever I write on that project or in that character’s voice. Hearing key songs will instantly snap me into writing mode. Of course after listening to these same songs a million times, you may never be able to hear them again without screaming.
6. Watch a DVD. When I really can’t write I’ll pop on a movie and watch it in the corner of my monitor as I write. More often than not, I’ll just end up watching the thing. But if its one I have seen many times, sometimes I can write. The entire point of this is to keep my posterior in the chair at the computer. More time at the keyboard = a greater chance to write. I remember watching CRIMSON TIDE over and over while I wrote some of the space combat scenes with Captain Keyes. The influence is glaringly obvious.
7. Three sentences. A trick from Roger Zelazny. Just write three lousy sentences. You can quit after that. You’ll be surprised how often this frees you up and you keep writing. The trick is to really give yourself permission to stop after three sentences. With the pressure off sometimes magic happens.
8. A deadline. This is the ultimate motivator! When an editor is paying you to deliver on a specific date, the fear of missing that deadline is like hot coals to the feet.

If you have any tricks, feel free to share.