It happens to every writer.
You have a daily journal or an essay assignment due in a week, but you don’t seem to gain inspiration to start writing.
You have plenty of time to write, but you have no motivation to do it.
To produce the most inspired writing, you need inspiration every day. In this post, we discuss how to find writing inspiration.
- Fiction books
- Magazines
- Pretend for a minute that you’re not good enough
- Make it impossible to edit while writing
- Act like a child
- Sign a contract with yourself
- Play music to inspire writing
- Art
- Writing groups
- Quotes
- Nature
- Exercise
- Travel
Each of us has their best list of fiction books, whether it’s in romance, crime, or whatever genre. The good thing about fiction writing is that it inspires you.
You want to analyze the writing style of the author so you can start using part of it in your own writing. Don’t just limit yourself to your favorite writers; try to branch out and read something new.
Not all magazines feature fantastic writing, but you can come across a decent piece of either non-fiction or fiction. You might find an article with an incredible writing style, voice, and ability to hook you in through the end.
There’s a story of a successful lawyer who was receiving constant questions on how to become a successful lawyer. He kept giving people the same response, “Don’t get into law, as you aren’t cut out for this career.”
By providing that answer, the lawyer knew it acted as reverse psychology, particularly for those persons cut out for it. It also filtered people that weren’t.
Try the same reverse psychology; convince yourself that you aren’t cut out for writing, and then let it offend you for a minute. Of course, you are an expert writer. Tricking yourself this way can inspire you to write better and more.
Try to write with white text or with your monitor off. That’s how you write your crappy first draft. When you can write without looking at those words on the screen, you won’t be able to start self-editing as you write. Instead, you will break loose and start writing with reckless abandon. Late on, you can clean up the draft.
How would a five-year advise you? Would they urge you to create powerful outlines, focus hard, and write a specific number of words a day? Of course, not.
Such a child will advise you to have fun. Do you remember how you loved fun at such an age? You didn’t try to worry about the future. You only lived in the present.
I’m not in any way suggesting you stop working on your dreams and start prioritizing fun. While you should not drop your big dreams, don’t take yourself too seriously, as writing may get rote.
If you feel stuck while trying to write a research paper, write something ridiculous. Open a new page and write something completely unrelated to the assignment or book you have. Embrace that child-like fun-moment and watch your creativity soar to new levels.
Create a contract and sign the document indicating what you should accomplish with your writing. Stick it near your bed or on the refrigerator door.
Now, imagine when you sit down to write, and then you see the agreement you signed with yourself. That should inspire you to write more.
Music can be inspiring. At times, it doesn’t have to contain words to motivate you to write because when we listen to words in music, we tend to get distracted and want to understand the meaning of those words.
Think about pure instrumentals like Beethoven or Mozart. Play such music in the background while writing. It will lift you up as you craft your masterpiece.
For any writer aspiring to grow, art is one of the greatest inspirations. Even if you can’t find the art itself, you can search for beautiful pictures of art and save them on your computer. Pictures to inspire writing can vary from a photo of your favorite writer to an old typewriter and painting.
Whether in your community or online, writing groups are the best sources of motivation and energy for writing. Good groups allow members to share their articles, poems, or short stories so the other members can critique the writing. Reading what others have written can inspire you a lot.
Great quotes can inspire you writing in amazing ways. Quotes can be on any subject, including finance, history, life, self-improvement, and so on. These thoughts can spark your writing by helping you generate ideas. Go to different quote sites to get started.
Unable to write well? Go for a jog or walk. Move away from the sidewalks towards trees, grass, and hills. Start appreciating the beauty surrounding you so the inspiration can start to flow through you.
You may want to get out during sunrises and sunsets. Besides, water-related sceneries, such as rivers, rain, ocean, and rivulets, will also uplift your soul.
Whether it’s running, jogging, or skipping the rope, exercising has a way of inspiring you. Being out in the open, taking in the fresh air, and an increased circulation can stimulate your mind, bringing forth new ways of looking at things.
Whether it’s a trip to your next town or traveling halfway around the globe, moving out of your place to discover new people and places can be a perfect inspiration for writing. Use new places to start developing new ideas.