An affair in the air...

Hello! Addison here~!

Today I wanted to share a strategy that helps me when I hit that infamous wall, also known as writer's block.

First, I think I’d like to demystify the muse.

What’s a muse? A muse is something that spurs the motivation necessary to push you to your creative limit and actually cause you to put your fingers on the keyboard and produce something coherent.

What are some of my muses? My go-to’s are: music, workouts, reading poetry, reading something steamy… but on occasion I need something outside of what ordinarily works for me.

And at desperate times like those... I like to cheat on my WIP  (Work in progress).

Why is it good to cheat on your WIP?

*For starters, it can be exciting!

Most of the time just because I’m grinding on one project doesn’t stop another project idea from bubbling to the surface. So, I’ve found going with the flow can be beneficial. I simply open a new document and start a new WIP.

*It can be mysterious…

The fun of using another writing project as a blood-let gives me the freedom to write myself into any world I like. It’s freeing and I don’t need to know where I’m going. I simply write whatever I desire for a solid span of time, and I find it helps jog my imagination.

*It can be ADDICTING.

Writing something new with no constraints can be liberating when you’re in the middle of an 80k WIP. Slogging through word counts can be a challenge. It can be tedious trying to maintain tension, to climax at the right time, and to bring an appropriate amount of closure to your characters. Not having to maintain those standards can really get the juices flowing. 

*It can be your dirty little secret*

There are no hard and fast rules that say you need to run with everything you write. If your new *secret* WIP breaks the rules, and perhaps steps outside of your comfort zone, then more power to you. There’s nothing wrong with a little closet fling when it comes to writing. In fact, it might just be what your original WIP needed to rekindle that magic spark.

*Candles and champagne never hurt either.

About the Author

Addison Moore is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Previously she worked as a therapist on a locked psychiatric unit for nearly a decade. She resides on the West Coast with her husband, four wonderful children, and two dogs where she eats too much chocolate and stays up way too late. When she's not writing, she's reading.

Feel free to visit her blog at: addisonmoorewrites.blogspot.com

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