So, this may sound dumb to you because, honestly, it doesn’t make much sense to me either, but here we are.

What am I talking about, you ask?

Ok, let me explain. The genre’ in which I write is, I guess, fantasy. I love writing about paranormal, time travel, and magic. My books are light-hearted beach reads, basically.

I’ve been working on the third book in my paranormal, time travel, cozy mystery series. I’m halfway through chapter three. That’s where I’ve been for the past few months. The odd thing is, as much as I love writing this series, I, for some reason, can’t get my mojo back to continue the story. It doesn’t help that I just lost my mother four days ago.

Have you ever had anything like that happen?

It’s not writer’s block. I’m not stuck. I don’t feel like continuing that series at the moment, and I don’t know why.

What am I doing about it?

I stopped thinking about it. I’ll get back to it, as there’s no doubt. But, the only limits I will see on my writing are those I put there. I don’t have a publisher impatiently waiting for the next chapter. I can write what I want when I want. Forcing it will only put out a mediocre story at best. It’s just not worth it. That story will sit there awaiting my return.

I’m now trying my hand at writing in a different genre’. And guess what? I’m now getting back into the writing groove. The muse is alive and well. She was just bored, stressed, and distracted with family stuff. Now, she’s once again getting her mojo back.

I’m now outlining a paranormal horror novel. Why not, right?

If you ever find yourself stalled, try your hand at something different for a while. Maybe you need to shake things up a little.

Other Forms of Writing to Consider

• Hand-written letters of encouragement to someone you either haven’t heard from in a long time or someone who could use a warm letter with encouraging words
• Poems
• Short stories
• Write a guest post for a Facebook group or blog
• Write in a genre’ you’ve never written in before

By temporarily pulling away from what you normally write, you can re-ignite that writing spark, expand on your writing, and improve your writing range.

I hope these suggestions help you when and if you ever need a little writing nudge from a fellow writer friend.

Happy Writing! Gina