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!
