I know what it is like to sit in front of a blank computer screen, watching the cursor blink while you struggle to find the words to write.

The good news is that you can take steps to become inspired straight away. Here are five of my favorite techniques when I need a spark of genius to light my writing fire.

1.   Headline Hunt

This works really well if you are looking for a new topic to write on. Get a newspaper or a magazine. It doesn’t matter how old it is, because you are going to cut it up. Cut out each headline. You can cut out main words or whole headlines or phrases.

When you have at least ten headlines put them into an envelope. Shake it up and either pick out the headlines one at a time or allow the headlines to spill onto your desk.  See what headlines join up and make new interesting headlines. You might end up with a few new ideas for your writing.

2.   Picture Perfect

Pictures are often inspirational, and as the saying goes, “A picture tells a thousand words”. Picture perfect motivates me in a couple of ways. I collect pictures from magazines and newspapers that attracted my attention for some reason. If I am looking for a new topic to write about, I’ll often go through my file of pictures and see if a picture sparks my interest.

The other way I use pictures for inspiration is to do a search on a topic I am already committed to writing about. Google Images is terrific for this. I search in Google Images for the topic and see what images come up. Sometimes you can get inspiration just by seeing things in a new way, or through someone else’s eyes.

3.   List Lists

It sounds weird but it really does work! Creating lists can be a form of brainstorming. If I have a particular subject to write about and don’t know where to start, I’ll make a list of everything I think is related to the topic. Often inspiration will come as I make the list. Give yourself ten minutes to make a list with as many items related to the topic as possible. Think of opposites, antonyms, synonyms, meanings and related ideas.

You can also make lists of possible stories or articles that you could write about in the future. When you are feeling uninspired, get out your list and become enthused anew about a topic.

4.   Titillating Titles

Caught your eye with the title for this idea? This mind game can be played in two ways whenever you are looking for your writing muse.

• When you are visiting a library to do some research, spend 15 minutes playing this game. Select five books at random from the shelves. Break each title into two or three sections, and join the sections from different titles together to create new ones. You may end up with several topics from this titillating title match game.

• The other way to play is to come up with attention grabbing headlines or titles for your articles. Brainstorm as many titles as you can and keep a list. Whenever you are feeling unimaginative get your titillating titles list out and see what generates enthusiasm.

5.   Vocabulary Variant

Writers should always work to increase their vocabulary. A thesaurus is a great tool. Look up a word you already know and find the synonyms for it. Follow the variants of the words until you become inspired. This can be a quick trick if you look up a word on a topic you are writing about.

For example, synonyms for inspiration include: motivation, stimulation, encouragement, muse, idea, brainwave and insight. Then I look up motivation to find the synonyms are: incentive, enthusiasm, impetus and driving force. Keep going until a word strikes a chord and offers you the motivation to start driving your stimulated mind to write with new insight.

You may discover your own techniques for getting inspiration.

The key is to try something different, look for a new perspective and to actively generate ideas. Inspiration is more common than you think! I’ve learnt how to be inspired every day by using these simple tricks.

Well, this is it for the time being on I=Inspiration. The next letter is V=Variety – something to spice up your writing, so don’t miss it!

This article continues on with the I=Inspiration theme in the CREATIVE HABITS series.

Although writers are individuals and find inspiration in many different ways, most writers are either intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated. Discovering which type of person you are will help you to know what to do when you desperately need inspiration.

Are you intrinsically motivated?

Intrinsically motivated people will use internal factors to get inspiration.

• Reading a good book will get an intrinsically motivated person thinking about the characters in the book or the plot. Often an intrinsically motivated person will become inspired and will write a number of articles around the themes discovered when considering the book.

• Other writers may find looking at great art or listening to classical music a great way to find inspiration. An intrinsically motivated person will find their muse whenever they let their thoughts drift in contemplation of some item in front of them.  Intrinsically motivated writers are more likely to relish quiet time and being alone, especially when searching for inspiration.

• Intrinsically motivated writers are those who will also be inspired by wanting to achieve and job satisfaction. I often find that setting deadlines is a great way to ensure inspiration. I want to do a good job and my job satisfaction comes from giving my clients what they need at the times I agreed to.

There is something I find inspiring in the words I use too, and sometimes, as an intrinsically motivated writer, I will be inspired by a single word and the desire to find an appropriate ‘home’ for it.  I find that looking for synonyms or completing word exercises will often inspire my writing, because I will discover interest in the words themselves.

Or are you extrinsically motivated?

Extrinsically motivated people, on the other hand, are less likely to find inspiration when sitting alone at a computer.  These people need to talk to people and will get their energy and inspiration from others. One of the best things an extrinsically motivated writer can do is purchase a laptop computer that can take their writing out into the world.

• Sitting in a café, watching people go past and enjoying great conversations with friends, colleagues or acquaintances (or even listening in to other’s conversations) will often inspire extrinsically motivated writers.

• Interaction is often the key and the extrinsically motivated writer will love to go to community events, parties and social outings because it is in the relationship with people that inspiration comes. People are endlessly fascinating and different and an extrinsically motivated writer will find endless inspiration in meeting and talking with different people.

• What if you have a deadline and don’t have hours to spare sitting in cafes? How can an extrinsically motivated writer find inspiration in a hurry? Writers groups and forums on the internet are often extremely helpful. Get in contact with a writer friend via emails and forums and bounce ideas off each other. Soon you will both be inspired to write.

• Extrinsically motivated people should always carry notebooks when they do go out to socialize, because many ideas may come to you during a single social evening. Jot down the ideas and then, when you need to, refer to your list for a reminder of your “eureka” flash of inspiration that hit at the party.

And for those of you who are sitting there identifying with both descriptions, don’t worry! We are not always one or the other. However, more often than not we prefer to be motivated either intrinsically or extrinsically.

Discovering whether you are more intrinsically motivated and inspired, or extrinsically motivated will help you to put into practice the ways of getting inspiration.

This way you can keep track of when you do have inspiration and ideas, so that you can go back to that space when needed.

Which do you think you are? How do you get your inspiration and motivation. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so it would be great if you took a few minutes to share them with us.

I=Inspiration

It’s time to be inspired! Yes, we’re up to I=Inspiration in the CREATIVE HABITS series. Time does fly when you’re having fun and I’m definitely having FUN! I’m really very inspired by CREATIVE HABITS and I hope you too are finding something, even if it’s just a small kernel, to help you stay sharp and true to the writer within you.

As a writer, I know that inspiration is one of the best feelings. When true inspiration hits, it’s like a light goes and suddenly the words just seem to flow. It is a wonderful feeling. However, it does not have to be as rare an occurrence as writers often think.

Inspiration can be found in every day activities, anywhere and at any time. Good writers will always be on the lookout for the spark of inspiration that leads to creative genius.

One of the best tricks to learn is to carry a small notebook, or if you are technologically minded, a PDA. Jot down a few words whenever inspiration hits, just enough to remember the burst of inspiration and put it to good use when you get back to your computer (or writing notebook for those who still enjoy writing in longhand first).

Inspiration is often found when you open your mind to new ideas and allow yourself to think about how ideas can be joined together. I’d like to share a quick story about a recent inspiration.

One day, I was sitting in a café, enjoying a coffee (and using it as an excuse to procrastinate because I hadn’t gotten any inspiration to write yet that day). At the table next to me was a young mother with two children. I watched as the children played with a soft toy together for a while, and then started arguing. Suddenly, I started reminiscing about my own childhood and how I had both enjoyed playing with and hated fighting with my own siblings.

If you’re wondering where this story is taking us, don’t worry. It is simply an illustration of how I found my muse that day by watching the children play (and squabble) together. In my notebook I jotted down the start of several articles, based on sibling rivalry, the importance of play, why children fight, what parents can do when children fight (especially in public), whether boys fight more than girls and even whether the fights changed in nature as children grow up.

Once inspiration struck, it was easy to get several ideas, simply by allowing my mind to be open to several possibilities. This is quite easy to do. You might start out by researching one topic at the library and find yourself distracted by an offshoot from that topic. Don’t think you have just been distracted, you have actually been inspired!

Writers who are looking for inspiration should be observant. Look at the people around you and objects around you. Posters, works of art, the way people dress and behave can all inspire writers. Keep your mind open to ideas and allow your brain to continually ask in the background of your consciousness, “Is there a story in this?”

You may be surprised at how often inspiration will strike if you allow your mind to see the ideas that can be right in front of you.

Besides developing your observation skills, and taking notes when inspiration strikes wherever you are, you can also encourage inspiration by scanning and brainstorming.

If you read an article in a newspaper or magazine that interests you, you can spend a few minutes thinking about related ideas. If the article was about what makes a woman sexy, you could think about the beauty industry as a whole, why women spend thousands of dollars a year on beauty products, the best and worst beauty products, and then consider what makes men sexy, etc. Ideas that are related to topics of interest generally spark the fires of inspiration and genius.

Scanning headlines can often lead to inspiration, as headlines run together and form new ideas. I’ve even cut up a whole newspaper and put the pictures and headlines into an envelope in pieces. Then I shake out the cut out pieces of paper onto the table, and sort through them, seeing if any ideas go together. Try this yourself next time you are looking for a brainwave. Often many insightful articles have stemmed from using this little trick.

It is easy for writers to get inspiration every day.

• Be observant
• take notes
• brainstorm ideas, and
• put ideas together to form a new thought

Remember – be inspired every day, from the every day experiences you have.