There are many ways to fight writer’s block, find inspiration

Don’t feel like writing? Join the club. Sometimes life is too busy, and our brains are too crowded with schedules, appointments and commitments. Sometimes we lack ideas or confidence. A clear mind allows room for inspiration, but how can we banish the mental detritus? Nature can nurture, so heading for an unpeopled locale can be helpful. For Riversiders, Sycamore Canyon, Box Springs Two Trees Trail or the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens (on an off day) are favorite locales. Mount Rubidoux has become too popular, so I head for an old quarry nearby, a short steep climb that offers a view of Fairmount Park north into the San Bernardino Mountains. The breathless climb clears my head, as does the view. Ideas emerge as I read the graffiti on a ledge and scan the weathered bits of debris discarded by a previous visitor. On the return trip, I see a long string of interesting backyards: The large, carefully tended garden of edible greens, the tree house and dog run, the basketball hoop and jacuzzi, the flower bed and statuary. After three decades of journalism, I prefer fictionFiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places in ways that are imaginary or inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose – often referring specifically to novels, novellas, and short stories.[4][5] More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games...., so I people these yards with imagined characters and protagonists, good and evil. Fairy tales come to mind, waiting for new interpretations. When I write nonfiction, it’s mainly memoir — usually current — […] By Donna Kennedy | Contributing Columnist Donna Kennedy was a features writer for The Press-Enterprise and is a former writing instructor. (Courtesy of Donna Kennedy)

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