1. Write a scene or a short story in a different genre. Take a stab at a mystery if you write literary fiction, try romance if you usually write military scifi.

2. Set a dialog-heavy scene (a couple arguing, the hero finally catching up to the villain who betrayed him) in an unusual locale (like the vertical face of a mountain) or dangerous situation (the spaceship’s hull has been breached).

3. Write poetry.

4. Create an art journal page and write on it.

5. Do writing prompts. I’ve been using the Imagination Prompt Generator recently.

6. Be inspired by an image. Check out a photo site, take pictures in your neighborhood, look at coffee table books.

7. Research a (narrow) topic you don’t know much about. Write a story or scene using some of what you discovered.

What are the ways you like to play?