Where to find inspiration for writing

Writing is something of a lonely pursuit. Solitary by nature and by necessity, the craft of writing demands that its pursuers spend a great deal of time inside their own heads. While this suits the majority of writers, there are times when it inevitably leads to frustration, a sense of isolation and a lack of inspiration.

As we mentioned in point 2, the work of other writers is often a great source of inspiration — but what about writers themselves? To discuss your shared passion and craft, and perhaps most importantly of all, to be reminded that other people are having the same difficulties as you… There are few things more encouraging or inspiring to a struggling writer. Writing anything at all — whether it be a well-developed short story or gulp an actual full-length novel — can be extremely daunting.

Tackle things in terms of the bigger picture: remind yourself that all writers have been where you are, and that the only way you can truly fail is never to start at all. To lessen the intimidation factor, keep in mind that writing just a few hundred words every day will add up in the long run. A writer, like any other professional, needs to know how to play to their strengths.

By all means, work to improve these elements, but never allow pessimism to consume you — and, most importantly, never compare yourself negatively to other writers. For instance, if you have a knack for immersive, detailed description, try to build your story around this technique, painting a vivid and engaging portrait for your readers.

As well as knowing your strengths as a writer, you should also make a point of structuring your writing process around your strengths as a worker. Night owls, on the other hand, might choose to rise later so they can stay up writing into the night. The bottom line is that no two writers will ever write — or work — in exactly the same way. Use this to your advantage by honing in on your individual strengths and allowing them to inspire and guide your writing. Our advice is to always embrace that feeling completely.

The writing and editing sections of your brain are totally different. If you have already tried all the methods described above but your inspiration has not come back yet, start writing anyway.

At some point your muse will approach from your back and peek over your shoulder, wondering what you are doing without her. Then, she will give you one hint. And then. Lesley J. Vos is a writer and essay proofreader. She writes for Bid4papers blog and is getting ready to publish her first ebook. You can contact and connect with Lesley here on Google Plus. I know some writers say its bad to watch TV shows, but I find watching the storyline unfold helps distract me enough that I get excited when I return to my own work.

Reading does wonders too. Well, every writer has his own source of inspiration probably. And I agree with you as for reading. The works of other writers can inspire us much. What a comprehensive and imaginative list, Lesley! I have trouble believing you are ever stuck with your writing! And if I end with a crazy bunch of ideas which might happen listed at the end of my WIP, the next day is that much easier. I love the times when I have a pivotal or emotional scene to write as the words do just flow from my fingertips.

That takes some thinking. Again, kudos to you for an excellent post! Believe me, I stuck with my writing quite often And that was the reason and my source of inspiration for this guest post. Now I have 20 things for inspiration, I use some of them myself, and I hope this list will be helpful for other writers as well. Some great suggestions, thanks Lesley and Susanne. For my blog, I do a pencil drawing then use it to inspire what I write. The same thing goes with my fiction writing. You seem to be a very creative person, if drawing inspires you so much!

And you can draw actually! I have started meditating specifically mindful meditation and I have found that it really helps calm and clear my mind. My favorite way to find writing inspiration though, is to use image prompts. Simply taking a picture and create a short word story based around the image.

And it works actually. This was a great list … lots of ideas for lots of different moods and time constraints. I am glad you liked my list. I think that all writers use most of those ideas from time to time, and they have their favourite ones, which work well for them. These are really awesome. I write in longhand a lot. I tend to outline I write nonfiction and sometimes freelance as a content writer in longhand, and revise in longhand.

Sometimes I write an entire article or chapter in longhand because I like the way it feels. I have a Pavlovian response to it and immediately start writing when I turn it on. Yes to making something by hand, as well.

I do a lot of different things, including very bad woodworking, knitting not quite as bad and papercraft pretty good. I sometimes get up from my desk and go sand a board just to gather my thoughts. It works. I do knitting too, but it rather relaxes me… Yes to beautiful music Frank Sinatra or Joe Cocker for example and nature!

I often write sitting in a park with my laptop. An excellent article! I have done several of these suggestions that the article exrolls to improve writing and I feel that they do in fact work. I also tend to walk at sunset because the stunning shades that the sky turns are so inspiring! I recently moved my laptop from my office to the living room and find I am able to compose more work lately due to these fresh surroundings!

I love your suggestion about making an inspirational chest full of creative things to inspire writing! I think this is something I definitely will be trying!

A well written, thought-provoking article! Thank you! An amazingly well written post Lesley. A nice walk in the neighbourhood park. Works like a charm. I find music, writing in long hand, a walk outdoors, a sleep, talking to a friend, watching a short documentary or funny movie, all to be beneficial.

I especially feel refreshed mentally after some time in my garden, but even a walk around the neighborhood clears my mind and lets new ideas pop in. Though that definitely opens doors to new ideas! I love to travel anywhere for new visualization and inspiration. Hi, I am 12 and am aiming to write a novel. These are great ideas, and I hope they help. I really admire your work and hope to be like you someday.

Do you think there is any hope for me at all? Pls reply. Of course there is hope! More than hope! You have a lifetime ahead of you, and you are starting early to write creatively, so just study blog posts and writing craft books and at some point you may get to attend some conferences some have a teen track for younger writers. Keep at it and just enjoy the writing journey! Thank you for your encouragement!

These really do work for me! I hope that there will be conferences in my area for me to attend! My friends help me through this all, and try to find ways for me to keep up my writing, but we can never find anything. Thank YOU!

Thanks a lot! Interesting and constructive ideas! Personally, for me helps just to start writing! It may just be a rough draft, unrelated thoughts, but just to start writing! Will pass very few time, and the idea will become a piece with meaning and plot… This is my experience, maybe someone will help! Those are very helpful tips of how you can find inspiration for writing.

This is a great list. I have to agree with you about freewriting being important when it comes to inspiration. A lot of great ideas originate from freewriting. By far my favorite is looking at something green or blue. Overall, this is a very creative and helpful list. Thank you. Really great list. Most of these things I keep in my personal toolbox but so helpful to see them on paper. Definitely going to print it and put it up in my office. This is a wonderful, very inclusive list.

Interesting and helpful ideas, perfect for a beginner writer like me. So many times, I stuck on my texts because I never had inspiration to write. Thank you for this nice post. Thanks a lot, Lesley for a great list. But I like your suggestion to play word association and to try freewriting. Name required. Email required. Send me my free ebook! An extensive online video course that will teach you to become an emotional master.

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Try to write at the same time every day, since that will help you stick to a regular schedule more easily. Meditate for 5 or 10 minutes to clear your mind. Take deep breaths, focusing on your inhale and exhale, and try to clear your mind as much as possible. By relaxing, you can reduce your stress and increase your focus. Immerse yourself in nature to find peace and inspiration. Spending time outdoors is a great way to stimulate your creativity.

Go for a walk or hike in a nearby park. You can also visit a local zoo or aquarium, or just sit in the grass outside your home, watching birds and bugs that go by. Daydream to gain a new perspective. Sometimes, the simplest thing you can do to get inspiration is just to let your mind wander. Find somewhere quiet, close your eyes, and let your mind go wherever it wants. Focus on the images that arise rather than associating words with them.

Imagine what their life is like. Where do they live? What do they do for a living? You could also contemplate what it would be like to be an insect. Think about what it would be like to live in a hive, what you might do all day, and how strong you would be.

Join a writing group to find like-minded people. Discussing work with other writers is helpful because it can help you think of new subjects to explore. You can also receive feedback for your previous work, so you can expand upon. Meet up at a local coffee shop or cafe and discuss your writing ideas. Exchange work for feedback. Learn about your favorite writers and their writing habits.

Some writers always write in the same location, while others have routines that they go through before they write each day.

By researching the habits of some of your writing role models, you might be inspired to find a new approach that will work for you. Kurt Vonnegut used to do sit-ups and push-ups in between his writing. Start writing a new story if you are stuck. Sometimes a fresh start is all you need to get the creative gears turning. Instead of writing your autobiography, for instance, you might write about an interesting man you met in the supermarket. If you are stuck on the ending to your murder mystery, try writing an inspiring account of your hero.

Experiment with different writing mediums. If you write in the same style all the time, you can get stuck in a rut, making your writing feel flat and uninspired. To counteract this, try writing something totally different than your normal style. This will help stretch your creativity, which may help you come up with new inspiration for your regular work. If you have been working on a novel, for instance, try to write a poem instead.

Try writing a short story if you normally write long-form blogs. Writing Help Sample Freewrite. Support wikiHow and unlock all samples. Paragraph Elaboration Prompts. Writing an outline can help you flesh out the story. Also, create character profiles for all of your characters.

Sometimes thinking about them can help you figure out what they would do in the story, and thus, help move the story along. Not Helpful 4 Helpful There's plenty of ways outside of nature in which to find inspiration. You could be inspired by the city lights, dim lights and a cold room, your friends or someone you love. Movies and TV can help, as can music, or just thinking back on a memory.

Sometimes, a game can help inspire you to think of a world that could've been so much better than the game's story. Not Helpful 3 Helpful What if I have a story and have planned everything, but I just can't think of a good start? Look at some of you favorite authors lead sentences and figure out how they did it. Don't copy them completely, though that's plagiarism. Challenge yourself to write 10 first sentences and see which one you find most interesting or which one makes you want to write more.

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 7. Get out of human habitation and into nature. Look around you at this magnificent world. Let the creatures, plants, soils and rocks around you be a form of inspiration. Lie on the ground and watch the clouds. Gaze at the stars and the universe. Let go of all expectations and assumptions and just let the ideas come to you. Not Helpful 9 Helpful What if I have a thought for an idea, how do I outline it into what's before the event and what's after? You don't always have to start at the beginning of a story.

Sometimes, you can write the middle or ending and inspiration for a beginning will strike you as you write. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 8. Try to choose an aspect of the topic that interest you. For example, if you have to write about space, you can write about the plan to relocate people to Mars rather than the solar system. Not Helpful 6 Helpful Try to choose a good topic. Be open-minded and just pour your feelings into what you write. Express every way you feel and explain it all in your story.

Fiction is usually the best topic for expressing your feelings. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 7. Get out in nature and forget about writing. Breathe in the fresh air and just try to relax. Writing in a journal every day can also help jump-start your process. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Think about the endings of some of your favorite books. What do they have in common?

What makes a good ending? What would make sense for your characters to do at the end of their journey? You can also ask friends and family to read your book and give you advice. I have no creativity at all. I'm a copy cat and usually only do fan fiction.

What do I do to write about something new and exciting that is original and my own? Just try to follow these steps and tell yourself that it is wrong to copy people. Try to stay as open-minded as possible. Not Helpful 11 Helpful 7. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published.