We are in the middle of the dog days of summer. Literally. I looked it up. This year, July 3 through August 11 are the days when Sirius is closest to the sun.

And the dog days seem especially hot and miserable this year. My creativity has been fried to a crisp, or it’s just too loggy in the heat to move.

But I’ve got a book to finish writing…what do I do?

When I have any kind of task to accomplish, from basic self-care to packing for a trip, I make lists. My house is adorned with fluttering post-it notes of all colors: groceries we need, appointments, books I want to read, etc.

Today, I added two hot pink post-its to the collection: ways to rekindle my creativity.

–       Open a file – just open it!

–       Set a timer for 5 minutes – WRITE!

–       Crochet with no TV

–       Journal by hand

–       Watch a favorite movie and break down the plot

–       Body double writing

–       Shut up and Write!

–       Write Hive (next Weds)

–       FIND A “FLOW” ACTIVITY

The movie I chose was The Kingsman because it has a lot of action. My crochet project is a Taylor Swift-inspired sweater. Shut Up and Write! is a local chapter of a national writing group. Write Hive is our own co-writing evening that starts next week on July 24. A flow activity may end up being dancing or something else physical. This has been enough to poke my creativity with a sharp stick and get it moving again.

What do you do when your creativity would rather nap?

~ Jill