Here's a tip I've recommended before, from Natalie Goldberg, the best writing teacher on the planet, in my opinion. (www.nataliegoldberg.com). When your writing seems blah and boring to you, like you're just rehashing what you've said before, sit down and write uninterrupted for ten minutes and follow this rule: each sentence must have a different topic than the sentence before. Boy does this make your mind swirl, and new ideas literally leap into your brain. Here's one I wrote:
The peppermint leaves steam with health. My cat is a pain in the ass. My scarf has beads of a vaguely Egyptian design. I wish I didn't worry so much about nothing, but perhaps it is my job, who knows. Far from here people die with the name of God on their lips. I don't think I'm as smart as everyone, but then again I'm pretty happy with my intelligence. Jim Morrison's eyes were wild with the frantic love of mystery. When I was in Paris I walked to Montmartre in the breaking dawn and saw the shop windows light, one by one. I've looked for gypsies under my bed but so far none have materialized. Today I was interviewed by a boy of perhaps twenty and got an unpleasant glimpse into the future. My grandmother totters on her old swollen feet and wants to die but doesn't know how. To do something well you must love with great passion all your relations, past and future. Walking underneath maple trees is dangerous, for they throw their missiles rapidly and do not aim at all. After all I've done, I still want more.
Hi, I found your blog through the Blog Squads page on Facebook and am doing my “homework,” to review some blogs and leave comments. I really like your blog. I especially liked the haiku, that was interesting. The advice by Natalie Goldberg was good, but surprising. Confused is probably a better word to describe how I feel. For every new sentence to be about a different topic is good, but how does that make the writing flow together? I don’t claim to be a writing genius, but it just doesn’t make sense to me I guess. As enjoyable as your example paragraph was, and as interesting as Natalie’s idea is, it is a foreign concept to me I guess. All in all, I enjoyed your blog. I don’t know much about writing though, so who am I to judge a famous writer?