On just one of those days when the muse has decided to take a vacation, and you're stuck staring at a blank document, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing again?

I write about it...LOL...I know how ya feel.  It is quite frustrating.

She screams

  as red paints the walls

Splattering....

       dripping.....

                 out of place....

It runs down

    the whitewashed walls

Of her minds own personal hell

As she reaches for paper

To dry the blood red tears

   of her frustration

Begging for something....

       someone...

                 anything....

"Rescue me...Inspire me...Revive me..."

But no sirens are heard...

    no flashing lights

                 Nothing....

Empty air meets her pleading cries

Throwing up her hands

    she grabs the pen from the floor

As the door slams

on her creativity once more

---------------------------------------------------------

A haunting tune plays

In the distance

::::::::::ECHOING::::::::::

Through the hidden

Hallways of

My muted imagination

Fingers reach for passing inspiration

Like the hungry grab for food

Torturing the growling stomach

Yet it stays just out of minds reach

Slowly I turn to see the sentences formed

By the crimson ink of my empty pen

And scream with the blankness

Of this wordless road

I usually go do something really repedetive like scrubbing the kitchen floor or clean the bathroom from top to bottom. Just the constant, no thinking needed action usually kick starts my imagination.

Going for a walk usually helps too, grab a note book and walk up to the local park or a mildly busy coffee shop and sit down and write. 

MUSIC! Find some mood music, after awhile if you use the same CD you can program your brain into thinking about the story whenever that CD is put on.  I know this can be done because I accidently did this to myself, I cannot listen to the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack OR watch the movie without zoning out and begining to plot and write.. :)

Drawing your character, a few times I have tried to draw what my main characters look like and that helps to kick start my wanting to write about them, also drawing floor plans or doing some research can held AND is useful productively spent time.

I lay in my hammock outside, it helped this last month. 

I also take my characters out and play with them,  have conversation with them (sometimes on paper).  I also interview my characters, the last one was as a psychologist.

I read somewhere that laying down helps spurn the creative juices.  I use it as an excuse for afternoon naps.  I'll usually wake up with some idea.