How many of us always feel in the mood to write when we sit down? Not too many of us I would wager a guess. I know with myself, there are days that I dread sitting at my computer and write. But once I write for a while, my attitude changes for the better. Many writers feel that if they aren’t inspired to write when they sit down to write, their writing won’t be good, so why bother. This attitude will poison your writing for a long time. You must be willing to roll with the punches, so to speak. I believe that inspiration comes from actually sitting down and writing. We all prefer to be inspired and on fire when we write because it seems to make the writing endeavour so much easier. However, we can’t always wait for inspiration to strike before we begin writing. Sometimes, we must just simply get to work and enjoy the process of writing. If you are really stuck and uninspired, here are a few tips to help you get more in the mood to write. First, if you are really not inspired or the writing is not forthcoming, you could do corrections, formatting, outlining, backups of your material or research during this noninspired time. You could gather quotations fiddle with the outlines of your work, look up key words in the dictionary, and generally do prep, editing, or correction work during these times. At least you will be doing something related to your writing project and it will move you forward. Second, you could write anyway. The inspiration may arrive while you are writing. That happens to me quite often. Inspiration usually comes while you work but not before you work for many writers. I think that I fit into this category. If you are writing, you will likely continue writing and eventually you will find the right words. With the advent of computers, you could edit words later. So writers if you are not in the mood to write, follow the two above tips and you will feel more confident about your writing, even during these low times when your inspiration is waning. Irene