Creative Writing: How to Find Inspiration for an Exciting Text?
Every writer knows the uncomfortable situation of a writer's block. You need to get a job done but you do not find any inspiration and not one convincing idea. How to get through?
Ah, summer – that wonderful time of the year when your brain decides it’s time for some well-deserved time off.The only problem is, your clients aren’t really on the same page with you there. If you’re reading this, then, chances are, you’re stuck in front of a computer trying to work your magic with some long-tail SEO keywords.
Make it engaging, they said.
But everyone knows there are only so many ways to make anti-microbial pillowcases engaging. Maybe if the reader wears it as a cape after going through the article? Words come out but they just feel… meh. You try to think of casual jokes to light up the oh-so-tedious content but even your grandma – your biggest fan – doesn’t find them funny. You know you have it somewhere in you but it just won’t come out. Want to hear the good news?
You’re not alone.
Since writing is a creative process, you can’t really turn it on and off with a push of a button. Trust me on that one – I’ve tried and failed greatly. However, there might be some ways to get your creative juices flowing again.
Get some fresh air
Sitting and staring at the blank page while thinking whether or not you really need this job won’t do much. Make your peace with the fact that you won’t get much done in the next hour or so, ignore the ticking deadline and go outside. Head to the nearest park and talk to someone new. While it’s true that they’re very likely to have zero clue about grammar rules or you know… the job that you do, talking to someone should distract you long enough to forget about your writing misery.
Oh, and don’t forget to grab a notepad on your way out – to write down any great ideas you get. Or just so you can pretend you’re actually doing something whenever someone walks by.
Dance to your favorite (guilty-pleasure) song
Still can’t write?
Play your favorite song – the cheesier the song, the better– and start dancing as if no one was watching. There goes hoping that no one would be actually watching you but even if they are, tell them it’s for a higher purpose. You do need to pay rent at the end of the month, don’t you?
For some reason, hearing how Daddy Yankee raps in Despacito works miraculously well for me. By the looks of it, more than 3 billion people on the planet cheer up by listening what is soon very likely to become the most annoying song ever. But if it gets you your text done, who cares?
*hums Despacito silently*
Go to a bar and drink
Write drunk, edit sober said Hemingway once. Actually, he never said that – blame the Internet for that one – but for the sake of this point, let’s pretend he did. Seriously – go get a drink if you’re stuck. Two things may come out of that.
- You get your writing done;
- You get drunk enough to completely stop caring about your job altogether.
No matter which one of those happens, at least you won’t have to deal with that writer’s block – and wasn’t that the whole point anyway?
Turn off your phone
And pretend you don’t exist. No one can yell at you for missing a deadline if they can’t reach you.
However, I have a hunch some of you may prefer the alternative – stop scrolling through your newsfeed and keep your hands off your phone! While cat pictures are great – and keep us sane on most days – they aren’t really helpful when it comes to getting things done. Besides, your friends are going to be really happy you won’t tag them in weird memes for the next few hours.
Do something out of your routine
Desperate times call for desperate measures – go and do something you wouldn’t normally do. Regular folks may suggest things like getting a tattoo or going bungee jumping; something to get that adrenaline flowing.
I say, let’s be a bit more practical here since time is running short. Wake up that inner child that’s responsible for all the awesome – or weird, depending on your point of view – ideas you get in life. Celebrate your cat’s birthday – and eat the whole birthday cake yourself, a bit of sugar never killed no one. Do some Despacito karaoke on your lunch break, post a selfie with the dog-ears filter on, treat yourself to a bunch of helium balloons that will just float around your office for days… basically, anything that will make you happy but won’t get you killed. At least not in the short term – don’t do that sugar thing too often.
Think about your superpower
You think you don’t have one? Of course you do – you can write!
No matter what type of writing you do, you’re probably pretty darn good at it – otherwise, you wouldn’t even bother to read an article on finding inspiration. You can make people laugh – hopefully, you don’t make anyone cry – you teach them how to do stuff, you make them buy anti-microbial pillowcases… the list goes on. Be honest now, how many people can do that?
Count your blessings, acknowledge the fact that you really do have an awesome job and… start writing!
