A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, here's a picture for you.

Got it? Now go write one thousand words. No, really. Go ahead. I'll wait.

...

Not so easy is it? A hundred, or a page? That's pretty easy, but a full thousand takes work, thought, and concentration. You need a clear vision of what exactly you want to say with your scene, and how you want that scene to work with your story. Dinosaur skeletons don't often make their way into many mainstream stories, so I wouldn't be surprised if that picture didn't do a thing for most of you. Writing is about finding subjects and mental images that resonate with you. If the T-rex isn't working, maybe a sunset might help. Or a pet picture. How about this crowd scene?

There are two points I'm trying to make here. First of all, having a firm idea of what you want to write will do wonders for the end result. Once you have a vivid image in mind, you can mentally walk around the scene and write details that will bring it to life for your reader. Running through a checklist of the five senses can be a big help, too. What smells are in the air? Is it hot or cold, stuffy or fresh? Do your characters feel a rough wooden tabletop under their elbows, or are they resting on cool, smooth marble? How is the lighting in the room or outdoor space? Colors, textures, and smells are a powerful way to draw a reader into your scene.

If you can't get that perfect image or inspiration in your mind's eye, use a web site like flickr.com or google's Panoramio and search for something similar. Both sites offer you the ability to search for a specific subject or place. Authors spend a lot of time writing about distant (or imaginary) places, or situations they have never experienced. Rather than making it up as you go along, do a quick search for photographs and let someone else fill in the blanks for you. Need help describing a seedy bar's interior, or an alpine valley? Let a photograph be your guide. Not sure if pug dogs come in black? There are thousands of public photos to answer your question.

One other thing to keep in mind is that it's ok to skip a problematic scene and move on to keep your writing flowing. Just be sure to take careful notes to remind yourself of what you intended to write for the skipped scene, then come back when you can. Nothing will bring on the writer's block faster than agonizing over a scene that you can't wrap your head around. My first drafts are full of strings of asterisks followed by my shorthand version of stage directions. I'll write something like "Characters X and Y meet here and stay at cafe until closing". For whatever reason, I couldn't wrap my head around that scene at the time, so I move on to the next scene clamoring for my attention. I use the string of asterisks so that I can easily search for my notes when it comes time to fill in the gaps. And lots of times, all I need to get unstuck on a scene is a quick search of photographs online.

Where do you find your 1,000 words?