Nearly every writer or would-be writer suffers periods of writer's block. That may be a signal to try something different for a change. No matter your ultimate writing goal, the "Great American Novel," the perfect short story, a collection of poems, your life story, or just a few journal entries, try a different approach.

Find a meaningful family photograph. That ancestral portrait hanging on the wall, that childhood photo from a dusty old album, that vacation shot of a loved one relaxing on a tropical beach: any photo will do, even one showing long-lost relatives or people you no can no longer identify.

Examine the photo very closely. What does it reveal? If you're in the picture, what do you remember about the occasion, the other people there, the time period? What were you feeling? Describe clothing, hairstyles, facial expressions. What does the picture mean to you? What does it reveal? What memories, happy or sad, does it convey?

Or look at a picture of people you don't recognize, even a picture from a magazine or a poster. Make up a story or write a character sketch based on the picture. It might be possible to write a family history based on one or more photo albums, or a story or novel based on details from a picture of strangers. Let your imagination soar.

For example, here's a quickly-written exercise, not a finished piece of writing but an attempt to try out my own suggestion: 

"From my living room recliner, I can see a framed five-by-seven-inch color photo of me standing next to my late husband, Jules. The occasion was Wright College graduation in spring, 1996, when I first wore my bright blue Distinguished Service Professor robe. Along with the robe goes the duty of delivering the graduation address to students, parents, and other faculty.

"As I look at the picture, I remember both my pride in receiving the honor and my terror at the idea of giving the speech. My skill as a public speaker was, and is, limited. My facial expression in the photo appears to be a sort of nervous half-smile, half-smirk. My as-yet unretired crooked teeth are showing, too. With the blue robe, trimmed in wide panels of white velvet down the front, I am wearing my academic hood, but only the white side (for a liberal arts degree) shows in front. The University of Minnesota colors are hidden. I am also wearing a modified mortarboard graduation cap with a gold tassel dangling from one side. I'm reminded that this regalia now resides in a long plastic bag somewhere in my cluttered closet.

"Jules, who always felt a bit uncomfortable in an academic environment, stands at my side in a conservative dark blue suit with a purplish necktie. How different from his usual jeans and flannel shirts or his motorcycling gear! He's wearing a tentative smile, and his receding hair and handlebar mustache are gray, almost white. I may be imagining things, but I think he looks proud. Despite my fears, he was perhaps showing his confidence that I'd do all right. As I recall, the speech went quite well, but I was happy when it was over.

"My rock, my anchor, my love: he's been gone for eight years now, and I miss him. How I wish he were still alive to share his love and support in person, rather than in a photograph."

Try using a photograph for writing inspiration. You may be surprised by what you remember. Happy writing!

Next time: More writing inspirations.