Inspiration can be found in many places. Sometimes all you need is that perfect prompt that develops into a multifaceted world and sometimes you just need a bit of oomph to kick start your working session. Here are my top 10 places and/or activities where I find inspiration to write.
Go for a walk. I don’t know if it’s because I am less distracted by my phone/computer/tv or just the physical feeling of moving forward, but walking clears my head and makes way for the imagination. It doesn’t have to be a five-mile hike through the countryside to work, but I aim for at least a 20 min of walking.
Dreams. They can be a way for some of the unformed ideas in my head to emerge into the light. I like to write snippets I found interesting in my notes App on my phone. When I was younger, I kept a small notebook and pencil near my bed. The goal is to write down the ‘scenes’ first, and then write down the emotional layer…things you were feeling…afterwards. Don’t worry, it’s not supposed to make sense, but can be a neat way to spark your creativity. Don’t feel bad if you can’t remember them all in detail; the more you do it the more you start remembering when you wake up.
Artwork. I like to find interesting images and make up a story to fit. There are a few places I visit and scroll online, like DeviantArt and Pinterest. But you can just as well visit the library and dig around in the Art section. There are usually more in depth collections of artworks there with a narrower focus.
Music. I listen to the ‘new music’ tab on my music app. Sometimes a song will just make something click. I also like to explore the collections that I normally would not listen to. I start with whatever is popular in that section and wonder around with a click here and there. Music is pretty much infinite!
I play ‘What if?’ What if when I picked up that orange it disappeared? What if I walked into the living room and there was a strange old lady sitting there? What is the weirdest thing that could happen right now, and how would I explain it? Sometimes neat stories are prompted by the question ‘what if?’ This technique usually produces some really interesting first paragraphs!
Word salad. Before throwing out old magazines I clip out nouns and adjectives and other random words and mix them up in an envelope. I pick a few out randomly and build a sentence from the combination. This is actually a technique I learned from an English teacher. If you want to take it a step further (and you like art) you can draw images that illustrate the sentence or story. You can get some pretty funny combinations!
Oral stories. We like to tell stories in our family, so it is a wealth of ideas for writing. Sometimes it’s easier to use other people’s experiences as jumping off points for a story or scene, rather than our own. Bonus points: you can practice being a good listener and it helps connect you with your friends and family. Use all avenues of interaction, like emails, phone calls, texts and even social media posts. These can count as ‘oral stories.’ I even have several old school pen pals both international and just from other states that provide fresh insight into the different experiences we all have.
Get your blood pumping. Go for a run, do jumping jacks, play some basketball. Use that awesome feeling afterwards to give you an extra boost for writing. Our brains are delicate ecosystems of hormones and chemicals, and using that systems built-in need to provide balance can spark the energy and motivation needed.
Photos. I often keep photos of family and even strangers’ images that I find interesting hanging in my writing space. Sometimes I know their stories and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I build character sheets for these strangers, imagining their experiences and stories. Having a visual image to refer to can cement that character’s personality.
Try new things. Be adventurous. Taste new food. Try a new hobby or learn a few words in a foreign language. Read a different genre than you usually do. Be uncomfortable. In nature all of the interesting things exists in spaces where there is friction. Where salt and fresh water meet. Where extreme cold meets with tropical weather. Where the land meets sea. Good stories always have some sort of clash of opposing forces, or a change in the ‘normal’ happens. Often inspiration can be found in those spaces.
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| Photo Credit: Chip Bryan |
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