Inspiration in the Junk Drawer

Every house has one; it’s one of those inevitable truths. No matter how neat a person is or how organized there will be a junk drawer.

Every writer gets to a point where a story is frustrating or they have a case of * gasp * writer’s block. There are so many exercises and ways to jostle whatever obstacle out of your story’s way.

Well… here’s another. Bet you thought there was going to be a big prolific proclamation here didn’t you? Nope, just another peg in the idea board for killing that story fluster, but a fun one :)

It’s simple when you get to a point that it’s frustrating and ready to toss the story into the file of other stories in various stages of prose. (Every writer’s house has one of these too! I guess that’s our junk drawer for words.) Just get up and go into your kitchen, utility room, pull out the box under the bed…. Wherever you stash your bits of junk.

* Waits….* Got it? Good, now open it. Don’t look, cover your eyes if you must. Hey you’re peeking! Now, reach in and pull out three items and take them back to your writing spot. Uncover your eyes first! We can’t have you falling over the cat, doing a triple summersault only to make your landing face first. 

Back at your writing spot where all the magic happens? Great! The key to this next step is not over thinking. Look at your three items. Think about what your character is doing and have him/her use at least one of these items in the scene.

It may take you on a tangent down a rabbit hole but the muse has been nudged out of her chocolate coma and is moving again.

Try inspiration junk drawer for a writing prompt or a round robin party game. See all that stuff stuffed in there really is useful!

What are a few things in your junk drawer that might be inspirational?

Part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the letters I and J