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
