Okay. We admit it. One of us is totally blown away by the blog meisters who crank out four or five posts a week (Hi, Mom). Even worse: those who post on a daily basis.

We’ll admit it again: One of us is a teensy-weensy bit envious. (Hi again Mom.)

How do these folks manage it? And manage to churn out interesting, informative, engaging and otherwise superlative posts day after day, week after week?

Where do they find the time? Where do they get ideas? When do they sleep? Do they own a cat? (We also admit to some serious canine bias here, but that’s another story.)

We admire these folks. Their dedication. Their discipline. Their lack of a life outside the blogosphere?

It’s amazing.

A decision

We made a decision awhile back. In case you haven’t already noticed, we decided not to be one of them. Unless it comes naturally. Flows like clear water over a precipice. Warm honey out of a jar. Common sense out of political candidates. Well, you know what we mean.

And something amazing happened. The less we stressed about blogging, the easier it became. (Okay, so one of us is easily amazed :)

Not that we don’t plow into writer’s block now and then. That little curmudgeon seems to be the bane of all writers at least now and then. But we don’t stress about it.

When the words don’t come – and sometimes they don’t – we bail. Go for a walk. Eat pizza. Pick daisies. Watch Lucy and Ethel. Count stars. Call Mom’s sister 14 states away. Listen to Puccini arias. (Yes, really.)

Instead of forcing it, we disconnect. Switch gears. Do something different. If Mom’s really desperate, she bakes.

Give yourself a breather

Know what? The muse returns. She may be “MIA” for a day, for weeks or for longer, but given time, the creative little sprite comes back. (When she does, we usually can’t get her to shut up.)

Taking a breather from writing can be like swapping out a dead battery for a fresh one. There’s no sense trying to work off a battery with no juice. Call that horse dead and find a new one. Give yourself a break. A chance to “power down” and recharge. It may seem counter-productive. But the renewed energy and vitality are worth it.

So if the writing muse has skipped town on you, be patient. Disconnect. Switch gears. Do something different. Take time to recharge. (We wouldn’t necessarily recommend baking, but whatever works.) If you’re a writer, the muse will return.

Works every time

One last thing. When writer’s block hits, read. Really. Put down your pen. Lock up your keyboard. Pick up a book and dive in.

There’s nothing like nestling behind a good book with a great story – or even a mediocre one – to tempt the muse into returning. We can’t explain it. We just know it works. Every time. Kinda like dessert.

What do you do to overcome writer’s block?

***

If you’re struggling with writer’s block, here are some great reads to recharge the ‘ole batteries. These aren’t how-tos. They’re just fun and engaging.

Inkheart – Cornelia Funke

The Book of Story Beginnings – Kristin Kladstrup

The Road to Grace – Richard Paul Evans

What books can you recommend?

Revisited from last year because it just seems to fit:

‘It’s summer time, summer time. Sum-sum, summer time!’

School’s out. Finally says Mom. Summer sure took her time getting here, eh? She gimped onto the calendar with the alacrity of a crippled snail. Even so, as every cell of our beings opens to the long-lost sun, drinking in a taste of summer, we’re celebrating. Sort of.

Why? Well, have you noticed? Summer is a con artist.

After the ninety-miles-an-hour-with-your-hair/fur-on-fire frenetic pace of the school year, summer cons us into thinking we’re in for a “break.” “Slow down,” she coos, “kick back. Rest up. Wind down. After all, it’s summer!”

Warm weather whirlwind?

Well, maybe in an alternate universe,sniffs Her Momness. Then how come summer is often as jam-packed and crazy as the rest of the year? It’s just a different kind of crazy. Calendar still fill. Planners book up. The only difference seems to be the weather and venue – at home or on the beach, desert, mountain peak, park, library, baseball diamonds or pool – other than the school campus. For a lot of people, particularly families, summer is just another word for “warm weather whirlwind.”

Mom used to lean into summer with the noblest of intentions: Dive into multiple Summer Reading programs. Polish a coupla dozen blog posts. Read nine million books. Draft a zillion book reviews.

That lasts for maybe a week or two, until summer hits full-throttle and that “have so much time now” illusion evaporates into a moist mirage.

Manageable and bite-sized

Someone suggested a summer goal of setting aside two hours a day to write. Realizing that summer is a charmer, a warm-weather chimera, Mom just laughed. And poked along at my own pace: devoting twenty minutes a day to write uninterrupted. It’s not as impressive as two hours, but it’s manageable. Realistic. Bite-sized.

Know what? asketh Her Momness. She found that if she focuses on a bite-sized goal and keep at it, she gets it. Know what else? Twenty minutes can easily tumble into 40 or 60 or 90 or more.

What bite-sized writing goals have you set for this summer?

We’ve all heard about ’em.  Seen ’em.  Some of us own more than one.

We’re talking about the latest and greatest in communication technology: iPhones, smart phones, iPads, texting.  Handy-dandy little items, these, especially when it comes to capturing creative genius on the fly.  Right?  Uh, right?

Being all magnificent and everything.

Put another way: what recording device does Her Momness use to lasso that creative blogging gem before it stales and staggers into the overcrowded corral of busy forgetfulness? What’s her preferred reading format – print or ebook?

Kindly keep your shirt on, Toots. We’ll get to all of that in a min. But first things first:

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