Guest post by Alvina Lopez
Whether you’re a blogger, journalist or a fiction writer, you’ll have to deal with the dreaded phenomena of “writer’s block” at least once in your career. There are some simple ways to find that inspiration you need to remove the road blocks and continue (or start) writing. To learn the five easy ways to find inspiration, continue reading below.
Free Write. By far one of the easiest ways to get those creative juices flowing is to just start writing. Anything. It doesn’t matter what it’s about. Just grab a piece of paper and start writing whatever comes to your mind—don’t over think, don’t edit and most importantly don’t stop. Just write. Sure, your finished project will probably be filled with a bunch of unusable junk, but you might just end up with a gem—or at least a few note worthy lines.
Listen to Classical Music. This might sound silly, but some studies show that listening to classical music can actually help stimulate different parts of the brain that can help one retain more information and think more creatively. While the correlation between Mozart and the creativity process isn’t proven to be 100 percent true, music can undoubtedly have a soothing effect and can change one’s mood—this fact alone can help you relax, enabling you to embrace a flood of inspiration. But if classical music doesn’t really do it for you, at least try some other soothing music genres such as trance or jazz.
Get out of Comfort Zone. Locking yourself up in a quiet room and forcing yourself to come up with an idea is one of the worst things you can possibly do. Instead, unglue yourself from your desk chair and get out. Go somewhere that is unfamiliar territory to you or someplace that you normally don’t hang out and see if anything inspires you. While you may want to choose a place that’s secluded so that you can gather your thoughts, sometimes it’s best to go to areas that are typically crowded, such as the park, a coffee shop or the airport. This is because crowded areas are great places to eavesdrop and “people watch”. You don’t want to be a creeper about it, but sometimes things you hear or see from unsuspecting sources can make some of the best dialogue or topics.
Turn to the Pros. Another great way to get rid of writer’s block is to read or watch material that you find to be exceptionally well written or clever—something you’d like to mimic or could create some sort of spin off. This can include anything from reading books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers or even watching movies. Whatever you choose, just make sure you’re paying close attention to themes, writing style, voice, dialogue and rhythm.
Sleep. Lastly, while this may not have crossed your mind, sometimes just getting a good night’s rest is all you need to clear your head and feel inspired. Sometimes your mind is so overworked that it can’t think anymore, but getting sleep allows your brain to rejuvenate and build more brain cells that can help you think more clearly. Always make sure you have a notebook by your bedside table too—you never know when a dream will “speak to you.”
By-line:
Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.
The Chipper Writer (aka Alanna Klapp) 