I don’t know if “writer’s block” is the right word. I have ideas, I have projects I’m in the middle of and I know what to do, but sometimes I just can’t shut out the distractions and start putting words on a page. I know I’m not the only writer who’s wasted forty minutes staring at a blank page before.

When I want to produce written work on a deadline, I can’t always wait for inspiration to strike. I can’t stop the car, pull out my computer, cancel my afternoon and write until the inspiration leaves. I have to take advantage of the two hour block I have available at 10am on a Friday or sacrifice my freetime on Monday night.

Getting the pen moving can be tricky when I don’t want to write and it feels more like a job than an artform.

The good news is that once you get your fingers warmed up and your brain moving, the inspiration will come. Here are four suggestions to start placing words on the page. Once you’re running, you can switch off to the project you’re trying to accomplish.

1) Write instructions. It doesn’t matter about what, the more specific the better. It could be instructions on how to mow the lawn, how to turn on a water faucet or even how to make a baby. You’ll find more success if you focus on something small, for instance, try to write a half page on how to load a bullet, rather than how to clean an entire gun–this will get your mind moving in terms of details and imagery.

2) Describe something. If you’re sitting outside somewhere, describe a pedestrian or the person next to you in detail. If there are no objects around, Google something absurd, like “cat wearing a tophat” and then write a description of the first thing you find. You can also describe actions, like how water might slip past a fish while it swims. As before, the more specific you can be, the better.

3) Copy something you think is amazing, word-for-word. Hunter S. Thompson copied A Great Gatsby and A Farewell to Arms word for word, in their entirety, on his typewriter before he wrote his first book. This will not only get your pen moving, but you’ll be able to observe how a great writer uses language in a more specific way than you ever have before.

4) Read something. Reading might seem like copping out and relaxing. But if you simply can’t get words out of your head and onto paper, get some words off of a paper and into your head. Eventually it will overflow. If you reread something you’ve read a dozen times before and thought was great, your mind will be engaged but still free to roam new ideas at the same time.

Getting started is the hardest part. I hope these suggestions help.

Many writing instructors recommend that you write for an hour (or even two!) doing exercises before you get into your project. I’m lucky if I have an hour to write in one sitting at all, let alone an hour just to warm up. These suggestions might be a little quicker.

Start with suggestion #1 or #2 and you might even find yourself starting a great story by accident. #3 you should discard. 🙂