When letters don’t fall from the sky.

I am not a writer.

While it is true that I bungle about here and there, on the blog, some stuff on the side (a real writer would never use the word ‘stuff’), I am not a writer in the professional sense of the term.

But, here’s the thing. I like to write. I’m of the mind that the more I do it, the better I get, at least that’s what the pro’s say. I’ve always said I need an editor because I am a terrible speller and grammar gets the best of me, but the real challenge I often stare in the face, is what to write about.

Whether your writing consists solely of the grocery list, you may find yourself having to update a resume, write a paper for school, send a little note of sympathy to a friend, or teach your kiddies the alphabet, we all have the occasion to find just the right (I literally just used the word write instead of right) words to express ourselves.

So when the letters are not falling from the sky, here is what I do:

6 tips to find just the right words

1.Read.
2. Audio memo. Much to the embarrassment of my almost 17 year old, I  use the audio memo function on my phone. Yup, I’m the crazy in the car talking to myself.
3. Get outside. Go for a drive.
4. Scroll twitter. I can’t tell you how many ideas have been triggered from things I see posted there.
5. Explore your surroundings. Libraries. Museums. Strange, eclectic but delightful shops.
6. Take a shower. My other daughter announced, during a bout of homework recently, that she had ‘writer’s block’ and promptly announced she was going to take a shower. Great ideas happen in the shower.

What do you do when you have no idea what words to use?

P.S.  In case you were wondering where that photo was taken, I snapped it while I was in Venice, Italy last year.