My mentor once said: Do not become too familiar with your gifts. 

One day, I realized that I was not investing enough time in enhancing my writing abilities. I grew too familiar with my writing gift because I took honors and college-level classes throughout high school; I wrote countless papers in undergraduate and graduate school; I taught writing for seven years; I mastered writing blog posts in less than 30 minutes, and I was writing three manuscripts every year. 

When I realized that writing was a gift, I treated it as something that could help other people heal, grow, and act. 

If you are a person that has stopped writing because you became bored or too familiar with your gift, I want to encourage you to SPICE UP YOUR WRITING. 

8 Ways to Become a Spicy Writer

1. BE A WORD NERD! 

You can enhance your writing by simply learning new words. Read the dictionary. Keep a list of words in your back pocket that you can use instead of typical, boring, and flat words. For example, instead of saying bad, you can use the word → abysmal. Instead of saying sad, you can use melancholy. Instead of saying happy, you can use the word → auspicious.

2. MEDITATION.

Meditation is a daily practice that can help get your creative juices flowing. Try turning off your phone, music, social media, and tv so that you are not digesting everyone else’s voice throughout the day. If you are trying to discover your unique voice, you need to take time to be silent for some part of the day. You should practice sitting in silence for at least ten minutes a day. 

3. Journaling is for EVERYONE! 

After meditation, you should journal for ten minutes or more a day. There is nothing specific you should be aiming to accomplish during this time of journaling. You can keep track of all your journal entries, and read how much you have grown.

4. Punctuation Power.  

The English language has given us 14 punctuation marks; spice up your writing by incorporating different punctuation marks. Research a punctuation mark that you have never used before and start using it in your writing. 

5. Writing Prompts. 

When you cannot think of anything to write about, research some prompts online that can spark your brain. Allow your imagination to run wild as you challenge yourself to answer the question that has been given to you. 

6. Narrate from a Unique POV 

Tell a story from a different point of view (POV). Put yourself in another person’s shoes or experiences. Research what this person may have gone through in the time period that he lived in. Study the type of words this character may have used. 

7. Figurative Language. 

Learn how to use alliteration, similes, and metaphors in your writing. There are many other figurative language devices that all writers can use to spice up their writing! 

8. Rest.

This is really for those individuals who write A LOT! If you are not feeling as creative, take time off from writing. Depending on how large your previous writing project was will determine how long you should take time to rest.