Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Inspiration or Lack of Inspiration?


What do you do when you're lacking inspiration? Do you write anyhow? Do you eat chocolate? Do you clean the house? Do you go shopping? Do you read a book?

As writers, the best thing we can do when we are lacking inspiration is: write anyhow.

** Google writing prompts and force yourself to write a piece of flash fiction.

** Open a book on the craft of writing--just flip randomly to a page--and use whatever revising, writing, or editing technique is discussed on that page to improve your current work in progress.

** Write a scene in first person; then rewrite it in third person; then rewrite it in second person.

Basically, if you are lacking inspiration, spend some time exercising your writing skills. Sometimes it's necessary to chop down less trees and take time to sharpen the axe.

15 comments:

  1. There seems to be a universal thing where taking a shower washes away whatever's clogging up our minds and keeping us from being mentally clear enough to write the way we want to. I say take a shower and then write...which is what I'm doing this morning.

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  2. For me, I try to go for a walk and get into the character's head or understand what a character is going through. Love your idea about chocolate though...

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  3. I sometimes run out of inspiration but I'm never out of words : ) Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  4. Forgot to add I'm following now. Good luck with the challenge!

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  5. Great ideas! Writing a scene if first then third then first would probably get me out of a writing rut. Thanks!

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  6. I like to flip through writing books at the library and read a few highlights each time I visit. The snipits start to add up over time.

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  7. This is wonderful, straight forward advice. Just spending 5 or 10 minutes writing stream of conscious drivel can shake the fruit from the tree.

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  8. I eat chocolate, blog, drink wine, eat chocolate, go for a walk, eat chocolate, blog and watch Big Bang Theory (my newest find). Then I go to bed and wake up in the middle of the night brimming with ideas. The chocolate etc may or may not have helped.

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  9. Thanks for this wonderful reminder! :)

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  10. I try to have more than one project going at a time - novel, short story, a contest deadline, etc. - hopefully, I feel inspired to work on at least one of them! Oh, and I'm always up for chocolate. :)

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  11. I lose myself in something else then bingo, my mind wanders back to the place I needed to be.
    dreamweaver

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  12. When I can't write, I'll read. (Or, to avoid writing, I'll read.) One good tip I heard was alternate with all the marketing things - answer e-mails, do research, etc., because that uses the opposite side of the brain.

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  13. First I read and then I go for a walk. Then I start writing again :-)

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  14. I don't tend to get stuck for material - only for presenting it in an interesting way, lol!

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