For rules regarding the Uninspired Chronicles, go to:
http://riatarded.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/the-uninspired-chronicles/
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When I have an idea clamped in my teeth, I can’t sleep. I switch on the bedside light every ten minutes. ON to scribble something I don’t dare forget. OFF again. Good night. ON again. OFF again. So I lose a little sleep now and again. It’s just not often enough to be worth it!
On the other hand, when I have a brain cramp, I entertain myself in unusual ways. Some efforts never work. Some work once in a long while. You have to have a sense of humour every now and again. I do try. More today than yesterday etc.
These are a few of my favourite prods (yes I need prodding, so I prod when I must).
Will it be a nudge, a poke, an elbow or a push this time? Let’s have a look.
1. Free write for 10 minutes about the first thing that pops into my head: onions, the Easter bunny, what my grandkids did lately. Aanything will do no matter how ridiculous.
Ninety percent will be garbage but usually a pattern will form.
2. Try prompts. A box of randomly selected words from the newspaper waits on my desk. The work spinach again? Ugh. Stinky socks—stinky socks? Must I?
Sometimes this is even FUN.
3. I keep an envelope of pictures: interesting faces, odd objects, shapes. I stare until I go cross-eyed. Something will come sooner or later. Sometimes much later.
Other times I just get a headache.
4. If staring doesn’t work, I head to the kitchen to chop, slice and dice until I end up with soup. At least I’ve gained SOMEthing as well as a sense of accomplishment!
Not what I wanted but beggars can’t be chosers. (Apologies for the cliche.)
5. Do a brain dump when times are good. Plan ahead for the blocked days. Having some of these is a miracle but having something handy might help when I need it. Save everything.
Where did I file that great stuff I dreamed up last month? Why can’t I find it?
6. Writing often seems to keep the ideas coming. Life gets in the way, though. There isn’t time enough for everything I want to do each day. Maybe I’m just too disorganized.
If all else fails or even when it doesn’t, I turn up the music. Remember marching bands? They still get my heart thumping and rev me up.
Tomorrow is another day. Maybe next time. . .
I am such a fraud!
When I’m bored and can’t bang my head against the keyboard anymore, I try online challenges (something for everyone). Another reboot: I am energized by exchanging ideas, opinions and thoughts with amazing bloggers.
How the Cookie Crumbles 
April 4, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Well.
This should help me stop procrastinating and do some more writing. I hope.
I’m sure you’re very wise at the age of sixty-five… or is it wrong of me to say that?
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April 4, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Hope it puts a burr in your saddle and no it’s not wrong of you to mention sixty-five. They’re my stripes and I earned them. I enjoy flashing them once in a while.
Thanks for dropping by.
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April 4, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Great ideas. I love reading other blogs too. It amazes me how often we are all (or some of us) thinking alike! Angie
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April 4, 2012 at 7:29 pm
I always say: Birds of a feather . . . Doesn’t that fit so many of our similarities? Nice to hear from you again, Angie.
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April 4, 2012 at 8:31 pm
I like the idea of reboot. I’m just recovering from a bout of writers fatigue. Will write about it soon… Soon as I’m not so tired. 🙂 Take two blog and call me in the moring….
Keep writing and keep smiling and all will be well. T
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April 4, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Love that: Take two blog and call me in the morning! Hope you’re feeling energized soon. Thanks for the encouragement and you keep smiling too, Tricia. Tess
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April 4, 2012 at 8:32 pm
An envelope of pictures? I have to try that!
Could we see a picture of that envelope please?:p
Thank you for contributing! 🙂
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April 4, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Loved this Tess. 🙂
I find music helps to unblock, and long walks. Otherwise I play solitaire on the computer. 🙂
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April 4, 2012 at 9:59 pm
My daughter got me thinking about adding marching bands to my music list. When the kids are a little cranky and moving like snails, she cranks up a marching band and things get done. The kids wake up and get into a better frame of mind. Come to to think of it, I seem to remember something in my long-ago school days when marching music comes to mind but I’m not sure. The trouble is I’ve been spending so much time in front of the computer, my eyes are doing a slow burn. I need to get up cause I’m afraid my butt is spreading….. I shudder. Tess
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April 4, 2012 at 10:27 pm
Love your ideas…and yes, music can act as a great inspiration sometimes. So I guess we need to stop banging our heads against the keyboard and march around the room a few times, maybe even with a basket on our head (like Miss Phyllis from Romper Room made us do)…”See me walk so straight and tall, I won’t let my basket fall…” Good times.
By the way, I picked up your Tim’s card yesterday and will get it in the mail soon!
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April 4, 2012 at 10:46 pm
Goof to hear from you, Sylvia. It’s nice to finally talk blocking, managing and accomplishing. It’s nice to share with like-minded friends. The imagery of the baket on the head like in Romper Room gives me the giggles. Speaking of baskets, have a nice Easter. Haven’t spent time thinking about the card. Hope you got lots more input on your post. It seems in the last few months similar questions about blogging have been cropping up. You’d think finally a big buzz would start to clear the air or fill it first. Am pooped today. Off to bed soon. Tess
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April 4, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Good ideas! I find I always have great ideas when I’m falling asleep, but I lack the energy and drive to write them down. So many good ideas are going to waste because of that!
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April 6, 2012 at 4:17 pm
I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I do that all the time: scribbling when I really need to be sleeping. I’ve probably lost too much good stuff because I thought I’d remember it in the morning. Doesn’t happen that way. Your statement “good ideas are going to waste” says it all. Thank you for sharing. Hope we talk some more along this vein. Happy Easter. Tess
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April 4, 2012 at 11:18 pm
This is a great post, Tess, full of great ideas. Sometimes, when I am making a comment or a reply to another blogger’s question, I realize that I have a pretty good beginning for a new post. So I post my reply, but cut and paste it into a folder for the time when I might need an idea for another post. I can take that half-baked idea and cook it up into a good piece. Thanks again for a great post.
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April 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm
I like that. In fact, earlier today, I was doing a similar thing except on my notepad. I like the cut and paste better though. Thanks for the idea. A number of times while writing a comment, I also thought “Gee, that would make a great post.” Not writing it down blew it away. Thank you for sharing. I so love this part. Happy Easter. Tess
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April 4, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Thanks for the tips, Tess. There is nothing more energizing or inspiring than engaging with others. A good work out helps too ;). It is usually the small things that also inspire – a word here, a look, joke, saying or a photo there.
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April 5, 2012 at 9:52 pm
I have been holding my breath hoping to draw out people who want to talk about writing. This is why I am HERE. The Uninspired Chronicle seemed like the right vehicle. I NEED to talk to people who engage in writing and all the headaches, heartaches, brain cramps etc. entail. This might be a good place to form a critique group? Maybe? Nice to have feedback for those who want and need it. Family members and friends just don’t do the job. If you are interested, let me know and we can decide some criteria IF needbe IF you want to get a bit specific. Just depends on your needs. You can say no and hey, no problem. Nice hearing from your. Great exchanging ideas. Hope we can / will talk soon. Tess
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April 6, 2012 at 4:11 pm
I agree. Sometimes just one small gesture makes a difference to your day. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy exchanging ideas and opinions.Happy Easter.
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April 4, 2012 at 11:26 pm
that technique works for me! and that’s why I’ve got boxes crammed with doodly stuff I wrote when I couldn’t think of anything to write!
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April 5, 2012 at 9:45 pm
We could have a ‘show and tell’ but I don’t know if I want to. (Nothing really secret about it). After the post someone was interested in seeing the ‘envelope of pictures and things’? What do YOU think? Show and tell or just tell? What would you do?
Nice to hear from you now look forward to hearing from you again SOON!
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April 5, 2012 at 1:21 am
I so have to get busy with this. Meh. Have to find a spot between A to Z and the features. Good thing I am between series or I will never have time…or enough posts 😉 Great list! You need to vote in my poll. It is about writing prompts.
Stinky socks? Who comes up with these?
Red.
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April 5, 2012 at 9:14 pm
I just voted on your poll. Can’t figure out why I got a disconnect. Haven’t been PRIVY to GETTING any of your shenanigans posts for a long time. Thought you were DOWN rewriting code and stuff. Anyway, I’m good now. Stinky socks is a bad example but for some reason I couldn’t help myself. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. I just use the most outlandish prompts. Nice to hear from you Red. Tess
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April 5, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Oh, good. I would love to get the whole crew all rounded back up. We have had some amazing discussions. I look forward to your reaction to some of the goings on 😉
Red.
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April 5, 2012 at 9:53 pm
I feel so left out now. What HAPPENED to the “old” crew? Are they slowly finding you again? Tess
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April 6, 2012 at 12:39 am
WP decided the only reason anyone followed me was because I was on WP.com. So, when I left WP, they kept all the followers. If you look at your blogs I follow page, I am still there. Bites.
Slowly some are coming back, but no one wants loads of email, so they do not subscribe…even though I only send one digest a day. I had a subscription hiccup and my digest today contained the last NINE posts. *sigh* Developers. Can’t live with them. Can’t bludgeon them.
Still need to reach out to Janice and Julie and a few others. I will get everyone back to the Follies board eventually. I am so saddened by some of the blogs which have gone dark in the last month. I have one friend IRL whose blog went dark after three years.
But on the bright side, those who are back are the awesomest of the blogosphere. I have always said I had the best audience. Never once has that been false. 😀
Red.
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April 6, 2012 at 4:09 pm
You bet!
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April 5, 2012 at 2:38 am
Some good tips there – thanks!
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April 5, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Thanks Andrew. I know we’re all different. These are my crutches. Tess
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April 5, 2012 at 7:08 am
Glass of wine….nods nods
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April 5, 2012 at 8:21 pm
Did I ask before? That’s OK. . . will that be red or white (giggling like a little girl but slurping like a big one).
Thanks for dropping us. I like your sense of humour.
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April 5, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Great tips, it is better than what I do….find all the things I despise about society. I think right now I am just making people uncomfortable if not downright angry at me. Oh well.
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April 5, 2012 at 5:39 pm
I thought I was the only one that did the on-off on-off on-off thing with the lamp.
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April 5, 2012 at 5:57 pm
I thought I was the only one. Misery loves company though. You TOO with the on-off? Makes me feel better. You know, Robin, these last several weeks. I’ve been getting therepy. THEREPY. Some people still look at me funny when I mention the blog word. It’s got more going for it than interesting and charming people. There’s free therepy. Nice to hear from you. Now my mind is at rest (insert stifled giggling here). Tess
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April 5, 2012 at 6:16 pm
I have to say – cooking will probably never be a way for me to get my brain to work better 😉
And as for having a block – something always happens that gives me the idea.
And then I wait for the words – and THAT can be a spot of bother!
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April 5, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I guess chopping and dicing is like going for a walk. My mind is at rest but the subconscious is working. At least for me. Nice to hear your take on it. It’s always SOMEthing, isn’t it? If there’s more, my ears are always peeled. Tess
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April 9, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I would love to try the chopping/dicing bit, but I’m not allowed in the kitchen. With good reason.
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April 9, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Whatever alternate works for you then? How about hitting a ball or . . . I know: knife throwing? No? Oh, that’s why you’re not allowed in the kitchen? I’m stumped but I thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate exchange of ideas anytime.
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