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It’s worse than bloggers block. When your mental inkwell runs dry, all your writing suffers. You’ll find that even writing letters to family  members becomes a challenge. As you sit, staring blankly at an article you’d yet to write, you realize that you have a problem. However, do not worry, my fellow bloggers. There is hope.

When I say your mental inkwell runs dry, I’m not referring to your writing ideas. I’m referring to the very mechanism that allows you to write, the brain, being unable to write. Occasionally, it’s a simple case of writing too much in too little time. There’s an easy solution for this: stop writing. However, sometimes, this condition can continue for days, even weeks, at a time. It takes more than to simply  stop writing, to cure yourself of this terrible condition. You can:

1. Walk. Take a walk around your neighborhood (granted it’s a friendly neighborhood), sniff some flowers along the way, and enjoy the great outdoors. I do this quite frequently, to get my mind off writing whatsoever.
2. Take a nap. Sleeping gives your mind a chance to rest, and generally is better than doing anything conscious (unless you can just sit down and zone out…that works too)
3. Play an instrument. I play piano and trumpet, and it’s really easy to get into the music, and get your mind off writing. Also, playing music is a really fun and valuable tool to learn.
4. Write. You might be thinking this is counter-productive, but I don’t mean write anything specific. I mean stream-of-consciousness, no thought whatsoever, just write. I’ve only done this a couple times, but I’ve found it to be an immensely valuable  tool to all who wish to refill their inkwell. It’s like certain mechanisms. If you don’t use them enough, they  stop working.
5. Art. I personally have no artistic qualities whatsoever, but if you have a knack for art (or even if you don’t), it can be a great way to refill your inkwell.
6. Stop blogging. When I say this, I mean take an announced vacation from your blog. It puts pressure off of you, and explains to your readers why there won’t be articles on your blog. Or better yet, arrange for a few guest bloggers to fill in for you while your relaxing at your own leisure.
7. Turn the computer off. There’s a almost physical attraction to my office when I’m not on the computer. Studies have shown that many people, especially teenagers, are addicted to social-media technology such as texting, Twitter, and Facebook.
8. Read the news. While this can be depressing for some (especially if you live in America right now), it’s a great way to get your mind off writing. Just make sure your reading an actual newspaper, as if you read it online, the allure of the computer will get too great (I call this condition IAD)
9. Read a book. Reading is an incredibly easy way to get your mind off of writing (just make sure you read the story in a reader mindset, not an author mindset)
10. Eat. One of the reasons you might not be able to write properly could be that your stomachs empty. If this is the case, your mind isn’t focused on your writing, and your works will suffer because of this.
11. Watch a movie. Or a video. Anything that absorbs all of your attention and allows you to focus on it, not the computer.
12. Work around the house (or the apartment). Do something you can really immerse yourself in, because refilling your mental inkwell’s all about getting your mind away from writing.
13. Call that somebody you haven’t talked to for ages, and have a long conversation.
14. Play a game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a board game, or a video game, but as long as it preoccupies you, it’ll help.
15. Listen to music. I prefer listening to Pandora Radio just because it’s a great way to find new music.
16. Listen to the radio. Like listening to music, except it’s more…focused. Listening into a favorite sports channel is a must.
17. Exercise.  Not only is this clinically proven to make you feel relaxed and energized for the rest of the day (if you do it in the morning) but it demands all of your attention. I personally reccomend Martial Arts, as it’s not only a great way to improve your body, it is practical as well.
18. Brainstorm ideas. This is much like tip #4, because your not doing anything strenuous, it gives you time to rest and regain your focus and your writing mojo. It’s like playing trumpet. Play low to regain your range, high.

You may be wondering why all of these tips are about preoccupying yourself. The reason is simple. If you preoccupy your mind with something unrelated to writing, your mind has a chance to settle down. It’s very important that you occasionally just give yourself a day off, as to get a  dry mental inkwell you’d need to be working yourself around the clock until your mind simply can’t write properly at all. Anything that absorbs all of your attention and demands all of your focus is able to refill your mental inkwell. Just make sure that you don’t prematurely go back to the computer.

There’s one more that I think is insanely important: Stop. Just stop. Subscribe to the blog, then walk away from the computer. This is perhaps the simplest way to refill your mental inkwell. Just stop.

If you have any more ideas on how to refill your mental inkwell, feel free to comment and tell me them. I will, if they’re good enough, add them to the list. Until tomorrow, Aaron.