My muse went to the beach

There are definitely days when it feels like the muse is taking the day off. The sun is shining, and they've gone to the beach along with everyone else.

So, what to do on the days when we are feel less than inspired? There are a few classic tricks that can give both the motivation and inspiration a bit of a kick start.

• Take a complete break from your writing desk/chair and go and do something completely different. Go for a walk, play with the dog (both?), do some gardening, go for a bike ride.
• If you're writing fiction, watch a couple of films in the same genre to get you 'in the mood' and the right mind set.
• Take a snooze. A tired brain is not a productive one
• Read a book. Immersing yourself in the land of the written word can be a good way to get yourself back into being the one doing the writing.
• Just write. It doesn't matter what it is. Write in your journal if you have one, on your blog (again, if you have one), write a letter (remember those?), and I do mean a 'proper' letter of the paper kind that you have to stick a stamp on and post.

Hopefully after some time spent doing one or more of the above activiites, you'll feel in a better frame of mind to get back to it.