Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine.

To that end, try this tip: Often the opening sentence shows something out-of-whack in the world. This then sets up the story’s central problem that the main character needs to resolve. Look around your house and think of what would need to change for a situation to be off-kilter. For example, “Each time I picked up the telephone, no one was there” or “She reclined in my pool chaise as if completely at home, but I didn’t have a clue as to who she might be.” After writing five such opening lines, select one as your book’s first sentence.