Your Inspiration is Never Gone—Sometimes it Just Needs a Push into the Open.
Whether you’re writing on your work-in-progress (WIP) or trying to find a new story idea, sometimes your well of creativity can come upon a dry season. For me, my free-flowing stream of creativity diminishes to a trickle when I become too engrossed in the technical aspects of building an author platform.
The good news is, you are not alone in this struggle. The seasons where inspiration seems to have packed up and moved to a better climate is a normal part of a writer’s life. The bad news is, you still have to deal with it.
But, let’s not be discouraged. There are tips and tricks listed in this blogpost to help you see the rainbow again and not just the rain. Not every trick will help every writer, but these tips are a good place to jump-start your inspiration for writing and storytelling once more.
What are these fabulous tips and tricks, you ask? Let’s dive in.
1. Go Outside of Yourself
When the inspiration within yourself becomes dry, it’s time to go outside of yourself. Whether you live in the country, up in the mountains, or in the city, there is inspiration waiting for you outdoors.
Take a walk and observe your surroundings. Notice the sky, the trees, the condition of the roads, or what shops line the sidewalk. Notice the details you would normally pass by: the graffiti on the walls, and gum on the sidewalk, or the small flowers by the trail. Soak in the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the feelings.
People watching is a great way of happening upon inspiration (don’t judge—we all do it). Observe what they look like: note the person’s style and voice. Guess their personality type and even life story. We write form life, so what better way to find inspiration then right in the midst of it?
And while you do all this, don’t forget to jot down some notes. Journal what you saw and felt on your walk, or write down the life story you made up about someone you passed. These little exercises will give you practice in writing and may even lead you to find the missing piece of your WIP or jumpstart you onto a new story idea.
2. Music
There is a lot of inspiration to be had from music. Pick a favorite song, the soundtrack to a great movie, or the theme song you have adopted for your book (my go to is Epic, Beautiful, or Emotional Music Mixes on YouTube; Sam Tinnesz and Zayde Wølf are also great story inspiration music), and just allow yourself to absorb the music.
Give the song your full attention. What do the lyrics mean to you? What mood and images do the lyrics and instrumental tracks bring to your mind? Let the music guide you through the story the song is trying to tell.
Now, get it out of your head and on paper. You don’t need to be writing a full fledged story, just what came to you from the song—a character, a situation, a scene. Write it down.
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3. Reading
The third great way to find creativity is by borrowing from someone else’s. Pick up a fiction book and start reading. When you come upon something you like in the story, pause and discern what exactly it is you like. It can be a certain plot twist or character trait, a scene description, or a well-done piece of foreshadowing.
Whatever it is, consider how you can apply it to your current WIP or to a future story.
Great writers borrow from other great writers. There is nothing new that hasn’t been written, so take what has been done that you love and make it your own.
Don’t forget to write down what it is you like (and even dislike).
4. Prompts
Perhaps one of the most well-known ways of jump-starting creativity and inspiration are writing prompts. They are a quick and easy way to shake up your creativity, and they are easy to find.
You can simply look up ‘Story Prompts’ on Pinterest and be rewarded with a plethora to choose from. Or, you can visit my own “Writing Prompts” Pinterest board to get started.
Once you pick one, write some flash fiction based on the prompt. To stretch your creativity even further, pick a prompt and use your WIP characters. Putting you characters in situations not in your book is a great way to learn more about them, and it may just unlock some great ideas for your WIP.
Start Bolstering Your Creativity
That’s it for our tips and tricks to finding inspiration and creativity. When your inspiration is running low, don’t get frustrated. Instead, give these tips a try and find what works for you.
Your creativity and inspiration never go away forever—sometimes it just needs a little nudge to come out of hiding.
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S.J. Siedenburg is a thriller & fantasy novelist, an editor, and a bibliophile with a passion for stories and helping writers finish their novels. She’s the author of the guidebooks Character Presentation, Before the First Draft, and the How to Write a Novel online course. Six of her short stories have been published through writing contests. Sarah lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5