Ever feel like you’re in a slump with your writing? It needs something fresh? One trick I’ve found is to read something in a completely different genre. Then, if inspired, even write something short in a similar voice.

When you go back to the first project, you may find new inspiration.

For example, I recently bought a MAD Magazine at Casablanca Comics in Portland, ME. I hadn’t read MAD since I was fourteen or so and I felt like a pre-teen again as I turned the pages, lying belly down on my friends’ lakeside dock, sometimes laughing out loud.

Inspired by the humorously insulting “Letters (and Tomatoes) to the Editor” I wrote my own. With no agenda except playfulness, it was easy to open up and discover an aspect of my writing voice beyond my usual voice.

After writing the letter a month ago, I finally typed it into my computer and sent it to the editor today. Who knows what will come of it, but I immediately felt the freedom in my writing voice the day after I wrote it. I’m feeling some of that same inspiration today and plan to capitalize on it.