When you visit somewhere new, make notes.  Think about the different smells and tastes, the way the weather feels, the way the people act, the way the light falls through the window.  It’s hard to write when you’re on the road, but even if you only jot down a few ideas, a sentence or two, you can always use what you’ve got later.

And if you’re not travelling, use writing as an opportunity to go wherever you want to.  I don’t believe in writing what you know.  I believe in using your imagination (and some research) to create something believable on the page.  So travel right now – choose a country you’ve wanted to visit or one you know and love.  Look it up on the Internet or read about it in a book.  Then imagine yourself there.  Describe it intimately so someone else could go there too, through your words, with you.

Write a blog entry imagining that you are either a boy who has just broken up with his girlfriend or that you are a girl who has just broken up with her boyfriend.  Maybe try both.  How different are the entries?  Can you hear the voices of your characters as you get under their skin and make them vivid and real?

Trying to get into the head of your character will help you as you work on stories of your own.  Characters that ring true are essential for good writing and the best way to get good at writing characters is to practice.

It’s Sunday and hopefully you’ve got a window of time today where you can write.  Sit at the computer or get out a pen and paper and make sure there can be no distractions.  Switch off your phone, cut your internet connection for this exercise.

And now you’re going to write without thinking, without stopping, for twenty minutes.  Free writing will help you relax into the words and free you up to let your creative side go.

Use the word fight to get you started.  Write anything that comes to mind, even if for a couple of minutes you just have to write the word fight over and over again.  The idea is to get writing.