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:

Open a dictionary or a thesaurus to any page and select a random word. Do this four more times, and carry the list of words wherever you go. When you find yourself with down time, write a paragraph about how the surroundings you are in – the conference room, the landscape passing by you on the bus ride, a store while waiting in line – exemplify that word. Better yet, select the words for your list from a story you’re penning, focusing on incomplete images or concepts in your manuscript.