7 Ways to Kickstart your writing in the new year

If only it did come in a can:)

It happens to all of us. We get very little writing done over the holidays - that's if we get any done at all. Then when we have to get back to it, it's hard to get going again.

How do you break through that wall and get going again?

Here's some tips -

Even time spent watching Jeremy Kyle isn't wasted.

1.Look through a real life magazine or watch a show like Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer. Are there any stories that catch your eye? Don't read it. Just take the headline say, "My husband was a bigamist and a murderer" and write your own story based on that. Try for a new angle. Write from the husband's point of view or from two of the wives when they get together. 

2. Write your own version of your favourite movie or TV shows. 

Even time watching the soaps isn't wasted.

3. Soap storylines are also a good source of inspiration. Use a current storyline, but feature your own characters.

4. No takers on that book? Try turning it into a screenplay. The more strings a writer has to their bow the better. 

5. Pick any book off your shelf and look at the first paragraph. Write a story that follows on from that. 

6. Cut out pictures of people from a magazine or catalogue. Imagine their lives and what could have happened to them. Write about them. 

7. Try an online story generator. You'll be surprised at what they come up with.