No matter how much you love writing, or doing any type of creative work for that matter, it doesn’t always come easy. It’s inevitable – there will be times when your creative juices simply don’t flow. What do you do then? We have a few ideas.
Just beat it
Sometimes the way to get your creative juices flowing is to simply force them to flow. How? We recently outlined a few tips on Beating Writer’s Block that might help you out.
Of course, sometimes the problem isn’t writer’s block, but rather, a lack of ideas. This is when it might be a good idea to put down your pen and paper or walk away from your computer. Just remember to follow our next tip.
Jot everything down
Ideas can pop into your head any time – in the shower, at the theater, during your daily commute, or even in your dreams. You don’t know if any of them will be good, but one thing we know for sure is that you won’t remember all of them when you finally sit down to write something. However, if you jot all your ideas down in a notebook you’re less likely to let your great ideas slip away.
Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to a notebook. You can also use a tape recorder, loose scraps of paper (some great ideas have been sketched out on paper napkins), or anything handy. You can also take advantage of technology by typing notes on your phone or using a voice recording app.
Grab some shuteye
Have you been cranking away at your computer all night? Chances are your creative juices aren’t flowing very well now. Give your mind (and your body) a rest. After a nap, or better yet, a full night of sleep, you should be able to concentrate better and get into a creative groove. Of course, don’t forget to keep your notebook by your bed in case an idea pops up in your sleep.
Sweat it out
Sometimes, it isn’t lack of sleep that cramps your creativity, but stress. Try hitting the gym, going for a jog, shooting some hoops, or doing whatever you want to get a good sweat going. Physical exercise is a great way to combat stress. It can help you clear your mind, and it’s good for your body too.
Go for a swim
We’re not suggesting you jump in a pool (though that’s a good idea too – see the previous point). Instead, we suggest immersing yourself in your topic. If, for example, you write a blog for stay at home moms, try playing with your kids (or your nieces and nephews), or whipping up a meal for your family. When you’re immersed in something, there’s a good chance you can find inspiration for your writing.
Go elsewhere for inspiration
Immersion is one way to get some ideas, but another way is to get as far away as possible from what you’re writing about. You can follow our previous suggestions and try sweating it out or grabbing some shut eye, but you can also get out and do other things.
Do something that relaxes you. Try going for a drive (this usually works for me, but I wish I could bill clients for the gas), mowing your lawn, or even taking a shower. You can also try something stimulating, like watching a movie or TV show, browsing through magazines, listening to some music, or even surfing the net.
Whether you choose something relaxing or something stimulating, when you get back to your desk, you can look at your writing from a fresh perspective.
Read, read, read
We think reading is a good idea, whether or not you’re having trouble writing. When you read a lot, you get a sense of what works, and what doesn’t; in other words, just by reading a lot, you also become a better writer.
Reading can also inspire you to write yourself. Try reading a few passages from your favorite authors, and just maybe, some of their energy (and hopefully talent too) rubs off on you.
We can’t (and won’t) claim that this is an exhaustive list of ways to find inspiration, but we think we’ve covered a lot of ground here. Still, we’d like to know how you find inspiration when you’re running short on writing ideas. Please share some of your own tips, tricks, and suggestions with us by leaving a comment. We’re looking forward to your input.
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1. I find the article really interesting! I am also into writing but sometimes feel like I have nothing sensible to write so what I normally do is I ask myself is there anything that the people would like to know and learn at the same time rather than just pure entertainment. This article has enormously touched the core of how to get driven back into the world of writing.
Doing exercise is one of the thing that people lacks to do. It’s true that there are a lot of health benefits when you do exerice. It promotes good sleep because exercising will make you feel tired after doing so. And when you get a good sleep, you will be energized again the following day. Exercising will also help maintain ideal body weight. Sweating out will make you feel lighter and much more it will give you a better healthy looking skin.Actually, there’s still a lot more of good in sweating out. You just need to be disciplined and think that regular exercise will also keep the doctor away!
This article’s a true eye-opener. I’m also into blog writing and it would always took me a whole lot of time to come up with a next entry. And I always end up asking myself what is it in me that I lack and needs re-evaluating. This article has taught me some tips to find and keep that inspiration and that adrenaline to write burning. But one idea that I loved the most is “to go elsewhere for inspiration”. This world got a whole lot of things to be so inspired about than we can ever imagine. Explore. The inspiration we’ve all been searching for might just be found around the corner.
I really enjoy reading your blog. May I ask you a question. I assume that you have a lot of visitors daily but why your website is loading so fast? What kind of hosting you are using? I heard hostgator is good but its price is quite high for me. Thanks in advance.
I believe if there are writers out there who are really in need to get inspirations right now, this article is very good for you. I, myself right now are very much into writing and this article really gives me a lot tips and strategies as to how can I make a good article with getting a good and a bunch of inspirations. The writer on this article is doing a lot of research about the topic and I bet writers like me will do the tips. Thank you for writing down the article. It sure really is a great help.
When I was reading your blog and going through your points on finding inspiration, I just kept on nodding and smiling like I was really talking to an actual person (I hope I don’t look crazy doing that). Anyway, I find your blog interesting and fun. I agree to most of your points because I’ve done some of them and they were a success. Your points were helpful. I would surely put “keep a notebook at hand” in my daily to-do list for I often forget an idea that just popped out of my mind. :)I like it because your tone is conversational and it suits your audience.
Basically, the thought of this article is that in order to find inspiration, all we need to do is to go out and explore the world! The world is a ball of inspiration and all you need to do is look. 🙂
This article is really helpful and “go for a swim” is the most interesting part for me because personally whenever I feel that I already lack inspiration and I’m out of focused there’s only one place that I can find peace of mind and get right back on track and that is to go for a swim and just float, all I can hear is the music coming from the ocean. It’s amazing. Thank you.
oooh lala! i didn’t know sweating out could help me a lot! Aside from writing articles, I, like other people don’t do work out thus this article is an eye-opener. Ive tried it a week ago when i was writing an article regarding “plump pinays” and though ideas didn’t came fast, the work out help me relax and you wouldn’t believe that ideas regarding new fashion idea came after! thank you!
You know what,whenever I am told to write (i.e. for my homework, research paper or thesis), I do give myself 10 minutes to eat chocolate to activate my self-eagerness and read inspirational articles from the website to activate my neurons in the brain. Both of these strategies I made to come up a good and satisfying product. But you know,the most effective way to inspire yourself to write is TO READ, READ AND READ.
I got this strategy from this article and it really helped me a lot. I do excel in every research, poem or story presentation because of this. This is the surest answer to all the “writing problems”, especially students who are in need to do writing tasks.
Thank you very much :)I am so fulfilled to do my tasks and I will surely recommend this to all of my friends 🙂
Indeed! It is so true that at times chemicals in your brain don’t flow well when you’re bombarded with a lot of things on your mind and you wanted to write.
Yes, there were a lot of things to do in order for you to keep those juices flow. From the seven ways that was mentioned above, you need to keep those in mind. But before you do those things, try to calm yourself, make your mind at ease and peace, then do some breathing exercise to fill your blood on lungs and brain enough oxygen to continue the flowing of juices and extraordinary ideas.
Calming once self can help a lot in order for you have a great result of work.
So practice those 7 ways with calm and a little breathing exercise and rock on! 🙂
Sleeping! Yes, I like that most especially when I find myself very exhausted thinking of ideas for an article writing or any composition. It really helps because our minds need rest also especially when it’s being squeezed that hard. So, just relax and take it easy!
. I think most of what’s written here is very helpful. Finding inspiration either comes easily or the hard way. Sometimes, it’s just around the corner and whoops! you feel like writing. Most of the time however, due to stress, pressures, time constraints and so many other things that occupy your mind, you find it hard to grasp any inspiration to get your writing going. I agree that one should look for ways to relax or stimulate. That way, you are doing something that eases or energizes your mind and I think that’s a real good help. On the other hand, I also believe that communicating with close friends or family will be of great help. Personal conversations in whatever way (perhaps through texting, e-mail, and phone calls) are great ways to catch up ideas for writing. And since you are doing this with people closest to you, you can even use them as your inspiration for writing. 🙂
As an aspiring writer like me, your article is indeed very helpful for us. It will encourage people that anyone can be a writer and that it only takes a simple inspiration, motivation and ideas to be one. But then again, just like any work n this world, writing entails steps or process to follow. With your article, people can realize that you don’t need to be a genius or someone who has poetic inclination or maybe addicted to journalism, for you to write something. Based on my experience, writing could be a difficult task and could also be stressful but if you set your mind into it and doing what you have mentioned in your article; it could be fun and fulfilling.And I guess, as a writer, you have to be yourself too. Follow your mind what it dictates you to say and write. 🙂