No matter where you are in your writing life, there are times when – in order to get up and running again – your writing needs first aid.
Here are the essentials of your Writer’s First Aid Kit:

1. Writing time that is non-negotiable. Whether it’s half an hour, two hours, or four, switch off the phone and the alerts on your computer. For that time, writing comes first.
2. Energy in the writing. Go directly to what has the most energy in what comes up for you to write, and write that. Don’t worry about leading up to it; this is writing, not life. You can always go back and lead up to it later.
3. A “no” to the Inner Critic. Don’t second-guess yourself. Leave exactly what you said on the page and keep going.
4. Be kind. Leave a hint at the end of your writing time as to where to start tomorrow. (If it has no energy tomorrow, you’ll write what does.)
5. Stop when you stop. There will be plenty of time to think about writing during your next “writing time”.