Discovering Thoughts And Ideas For Bright Sparks And Brainwaves
This is the question that plagues all writers, most of the time. I wrote in a previous post about how to find ideas for your writing projects. You can read that post here.
In this post, I thought I’d give you some more.
The thing is that ideas are one thing, but being inspired about them is something completely different. In this post I will look at several different ways in which we can find inspiration.
As writers, we are in a constant search and quest for inspiration. It is what sets us apart from non-writers. We are always seeking out those little falling stars of sparkle, which we can add into our writing.
Inspiration can be found anywhere, even in the smallest of things. Think about standing in a queue at the supermarket till. You have someone in front of you, and someone behind you. What is their story?
One way to spark inspiration can be to try looking at things from a different perspective. For example, how would a child, or an elderly person see a situation differently? How would an animal see it?
When I first watched the Tinkerbell movie, I let the DVD play through and found there was a bonus feature, talking to the artists responsible for making the movie artwork. They were told to get out of the office, and to go out into nature, where they could look at their inspiration from different perspectives. For example, one of them laid on the floor, to see what the world looked like from a fairy’s height.
Another thing you can do is to keep a running list of ideas, quotes, and inspirations. You never know when you might need them, and looking back over them could just provide that spark that you’ve been looking for.
As well as a list, take photos, look on Unsplash for images that can provide inspiration. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. While I’m not exactly sure that I agree with that, I know that there have been times when a specific image has conjured up the inspiration for a story in my mind, and in those times, that image might well be worth its weight!
If you’re really struggling for inspiration, try stepping away from your desk. Go out, meet friends, go for coffee/tea/your choice of beverage. Take a walk in nature. Do what those Disney artists did.
Something I learned from Shaunta Grimes is to write down ten ideas a day. If you do this for thirty days, that’s 300 ideas, and while you may decide that some of these are absolutely useless, you’re bound to find a few gems in there.
Another thing that I have found very important to do is to put my inner critic back in her box. My inner critic’s name is Muriel. I wrote about her in this post.
The one thing that is almost more important than anything else, is to write every day. Another of Shaunta’s ideas is to set yourself a teeny tiny goal. Write new fiction for ten minutes each day. Do this, because in the long run, habit is more important and far more reliable and dependable than being inspired. You can be as inspired as you like, but if you don’t show up and do the work, then that inspiration is just stuck inside you like a butterfly caught in a jar, pattering out its life on the glass.
And THE most important thing of all… DO NOT GIVE UP!!
You are a writer. You can do this, no matter what anyone says, as long as you (to quote Dory) “Just keep on swimmin’”
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Li Carter is a writer, artist and crafter. She lives in South Wales, UK, with her family, and five rescue dogs. She’s on Twitter @rbcreativeli , Facebook: Rainbow Butterfly Creative, and Instagram @rainbowbutterflycreative and is the author of My Only True Friend: The Beginning. She is currently working on a new series titled The QuickSilver Chronicles. She is the original Rainbow Butterfly, and wants to fill an ever darkening world with a little bit of beauty and creativity.
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