Although there are times that you can just sit right down and write and you don't need any tricks, other times...let's tell the truth, we need at least one trick - and sometimes several tricks - to get us going. Here are five favorite tricks, all of which I have used in myriad ways over the years.

1. Number a piece of paper - It seems silly, but this is one of the easiest ones to implement and it works nearly every time. Depending on what you are working on, the numbers could represent the following (these are just samples):
a. People to interview related to the topic
b. Reviewers for this article
c. Books or articles I want to read for background
d. Places to submit this piece
e. Ideas for titles
f. Subheading suggestions
g. Tips related to the topic
h. Questions I have about this field
i. Questions others have asked you about this your topic.

2. Write a question that begs for an answer - the last idea from the previous list ties right into this one. You need only to generate one question, but having a list of questions to draw from is fine as well. Here's the idea: Write a question related to your area of expertise - and you may or may not already know the answer to that question. When human beings' minds read or hear questions, we immediately begin to formulate answers. Use this to your benefit when writing.

3. Break it into small parts - As the saying goes, when you have to eat an elephant, eat it one bite at a time. The same is true for writing. If you envision your writing as this monstrous beast, then you are likely to avoid contact with it. On the other hand, if you break your writing into small parts - sometimes REALLY tiny pieces - then you feel much more like working on your writing. In fact, if you are highly motivated by 'getting things done' and accomplishing what you set out to do, then having lots of small 'bites' of your writing to work on lures you into your projects because you can't wait for the exhilaration you feel when you get portions of the projects completed.

4. Ask others to answer a question. Regardless of what you are writing, you can always ask others a question about some aspect of your topic. You can ask any of the following (just as examples):
a. What would you like to know about _____ (this topic)?
b. To what one question would you like an answer related to ______?
c. What is your best idea (related to this topic)?
d. When you are learning about _____, what's the best format for you to access this information?

5. When you come to a word or sentence that stymies you, move on. From the time I was writing a great deal in high school - and maybe even junior high school - my mother taught me that if (when), I get to a place and either can't think of the word I want or can't get something stated in just the right way, put something in as a placeholder and keep going. When I used to write everything out longhand, I just made a giant asterisk and that was my signal that something else was needed there. Now that I do nearly all of my composing on the computer, I put a series of asterisks or an underline, just depending on what I'm working on. Even though my mother didn't really know to explain that our brains work very differently when we're composing and when we're editing, that is what she helped me to learn. One of the best tricks you can use when you're flowing along in your writing is to KEEP FLOWING. Don't let one word, phrase, or thought be the speed bump that slows you down. Put in a placeholder** and come back to it later.

There's nothing wrong with using tricks - if those tricks help us get our writing done!