Writer’s block, dry periods, blank pages, and frustration—most of us experience this at one time or another. I love how visceral Linda Pastan makes this experience. I too often want to lie in the snowdrifts within my mind, the cold emptiness of the screen before me.

If you are struggling with this right now, do a freewrite by list five objects you saw today or are around you at this moment. Don’t overthink, just the first things that come to mind or that you see around you. Now describe objects, using all the senses if possible—the smell, feel, shape, color, species or brand if you can without stopping to research it (a plump, red squirrel, an oak tree, a Ford Pinto, Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (safe-to-eat raw), etc. What is the squirrel doing? Did it see you? Is the cookie dough whispering to you, “Eat Me. I’m Safe”?

Now describe five things you remember from yesterday. Look for connections between the two lists and see if anything sparks. If so, explore that interest in either a poem or flash fiction. Perhaps you can take that description and use it for a fiction setting. If not, no worries, the point is to just get some space cleared up in your head. Often a block is from too many ideas to focus on one rather than none, as Brendan Constantine mentions in his workshops.

For just a writing exercise, take the poem and Mad Libs it. Change the nouns and verbs. If you want to change this into an actual prompt, take one of the sentences you’ve written (perhaps your modified version of “I want to lie down / in its whiteness”) and use it for a ghostline.

For a writing prompt, use the line “I want lie down in its / whiteness” as a ghostline. You don’t need to restrict yourself to exploring the same subject matter as the inspiration poem, but of course you can write on writing blocks too.

For the last prompt, remember back to a time when you felt either empty or locked. Create a place or object to encapsulate your experience, similar to the poem above. Try to avoid deserts unless you move deeper into that metaphor or have a different direction than expected. Go all in then: add mirages, some spitting camels, hopping jerboas, and vultures for a positive note. /s

Good luck! Have fun writing!