Non-Writing Writing Activities.

Sometimes when you're writing, you can stare and stare at the page and nothing happens. Try as you might, you just can't force the words out. But writing isn't just about putting pen to paper, there are many ways that you can be productive as a storyteller that will help you develop your story in the long run. Here are some of my favourites that you might find useful.

Go for a walk

My friends are very likely sick of me banging on and on about how good walking is for writing. I think it's an incredible tool in most, if not all, facets of being a human. Getting outside in the fresh air, finding some sort of green space to frolic about in for a bit, check out the local flora and fauna, it's so good for the soul. You can shake off whatever stagnant energy is holding you back, it releases also the good chemicals in your brain to make you feel motivated enough to sit at your desk and plough out some words.

I also find inspiration when I go for a walk. When I was at uni I created the premise for the story which became my final project in my masters degree by walking around the neighbourhood. As I've said in previous blogs, I'm also quite the chatter box, and it's nice to say hello to people when you're out and about, and a great way to feel like you're part of a community for half an hour before you lock yourself away again.

Do some research

One of the most important parts of being a creative person is the development of your craft. Honing your technical skills will make it so much easier to spot a problem in the moment and in most cases will help to prevent writers block. Although we are all born with innate storytelling abilities, none of us are born with the skills to make those stories marketable, so skills development should be a priority.

I absolutely love learning about the creative practices of artists, not only writers but musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, the list goes on. There are some amazing resources on YouTube and various blogs, as well as books and documentaries. Here's a shortlist of some of the ones I go back to time and time again:

• 'Catching the Big Fish' - David Lynch.

• 'Big Magic' - Elizabeth Gilbert.

• 'Into the Woods' - John Yorke.

• The Hollywood Reporter's Roundtable Series.

• Alex Turner's interview on Radio X

Make a playlist

Some people, like me, love music. I play music all day every day, and I'm not one of those who struggles to write if the music has lyrics in it. Every story I've ever written has a playlist to match, and it's a really good indicator of whether or not I'm going to be successful in writing the story. If I can make a playlist easily, it means I've captured the essence of what I'm trying to say with the story and I'm invested in making sure I finishing.

This is not a unique experience for a writer. Actually I'm pretty sure everyone I know who writes has a project playlist. In fact, one of my buddies from the writing group brought it up in our last meeting. There's even a spot to link your project playlist to your story on the Nanowrimo website. The proof is in the pudding, get your jams ready.

Make a mood board

Inspiration pictures really helps to visualise the world you're building and the people in it, even if you're not someone with a visual imagination. There are so many websites and programmes that are designed for building mood boards, or have that feature built in.

• Pinterest - I use Pinterest, because I'm a millennial and old habits die hard.

• Scrivener - I use the image feature to help with scenes or building characters - although that's less of a mood board as a whole.

• Milanote - this app has a mood board template, but you can also build your own from scratch if you prefer. I like Milanote because you can create boards within boards, so you can organise everything in one super-board.

• Campfire - I personally haven't used this one, but everyone in my writing club who has used it really rates it. It's especially good if you're interested in self-publishing, and you can read other peoples self-published works through it too. It has an interactive map maker and worldbuilding tools, which will be especially useful for fantasy and sci-fi writers - as well as dedicated software for both genres.

Hopefully you'll find something on this list that will aid you in your storytelling, and get you back to cranking some words out. Leave a comment if you have your own suggestions you want to share.

Don't tread on the flowers

F x