Ever seen the online journal Glimpses? It looks like quite a departure from the norm, doesn't it? See, of Bukit Timah, Singapore, picks a word a day from the Oxford dictionary. He flips through it, stops randomly at a page and places his finger in the book. I bet he even closes his eyes or looks away.

Sounds simple doesn't it? Try it. You'll be surprised just how easy it really is.

That one word might trigger something within you. A memory of your past, or a hope you have for the future. Maybe you can use that word in relation to your day.

You don't even have to pick it randomly. Maybe you have a favorite color. Or maybe you can look over your day and see a trend. See parallels and patterns. Maybe you already have a word in mind, but you just didn't realize it until now.

And sometimes you don't even have to use a word. Pictures can also be very useful. Take a look through your old photo albums or a high school or college yearbook. Try thumbing through a magazine. Get your eyes set on one picture, and see if something just starts to form in your mind about which you can write. Objects like family heirlooms or personal knickknacks you've collected over the years can also be useful in getting your mind clear. Suddenly all those random thoughts and concepts that have been floating about in your mind start to get more organized, and the direction for the day's writing is clear.

What's happening here is something called focus. Oftentimes the reason why you can't write is because so much has happened, you don't know where to start. It doesn't really matter where you start. You just have to start somewhere.

Try staying focused on that word, or picture, or object. How many times can you relate it back to what's been going on? Another way is to purposefully just let your mind wander. Use the starting point as the trigger, and just see where it takes you.

I like trying to start and end with the trigger. Bring it all home in the end of the piece. It's not always easy. I look at it as a challenge.

So go grab a magazine or a book, or climb up in your attic and just pick something that looks like it would be fun to describe with words. Give that a try. If that doesn't work for you, come back next time. We'll try something else.