Capturing Inspiration: Part Two
Welcome back! It's time to dive back into our rousing pursuit of inspiration! Stick around as we chase this tricky creature from the Heights of Musing to the Depths of Brainstorming. When our journey reaches its end, you may find that inspiration is not as elusive as it first seemed.
Last time, we took a look at two tricky questions:
~Dr. Seuss
Last time, we took a look at two tricky questions:
Does a writer need to be inspired to write?
How can they find inspiration in their writing?
Today, in the second half of this two-part series, I'll be addressing one last question that may arise on this topic:
What if there is something preventing finding inspiration in writing?
Let's say that you have the keys of inspiration jingling on your mental keyring, a free afternoon to write, and a fully charged laptop... but something still is impeding the flow of inspiration. Could there be an underlying issue? How can you fix it?
Today, I'd like to present 6 ways to solve the hindrance of inspiration. We'll be tracking down tips, pursuing tricks, and, in the end, trapping inspiration once and for all!
The hunt is afoot!
Get a Fresh View
The glaring white document and blinking cursor is a sight all too familiar to a writer. You scramble to gather up your concentration, but it slips through your fingers like sand. The mind is dull, the fingers are reluctant, and inspiration has taken a bothersome leave of absence. When you've developed the habit of consistently reverting to this idleness, it's time to find a new perspective. You need something fresh to snare inspiration back into your writing!
First, I'd recommend that you try a literal change of view. Even something as simple as zooming in or changing the font can give your mind the reset that it needs to get back on track. Seeing the same page repeatedly stirs up the same feelings of listlessness, but just the slightest change of view can solve it in an instant!
If a change of sight doesn't affect your lack of inspiration, it may be time to change your mental view. You've closed your thinking into just the next step and lost vision. Here's what I'd recommend: Sit down with a friend or family member and talk about your story. Maybe you need to explain it to them for the first time, or maybe they're already familiar with it, and you can explain your current struggles. They have a fresh view because they're seeing it with new eyes. Through their comments and feedback, they will give that perspective to you! Seeing it through the eyes of someone else can truly open a whole new world of possibility!
Brainstorm
The tactic of brainstorming has been used for hundreds of years, yet is never quite given the credit that it deserves. It excavates ideas, builds on the towers of thought, and is an invaluable tool when stuck in a rut of writing.
I've classified two types of brainstorming for this article:
- On-page brainstorming
- Off-page brainstorming
Let's start with "on-page brainstorming". We've all experienced the mental block that sits between our thoughts and the page. Ideas have to be approved, then they run through coherency, logic, and grammar before they finally find their place on the page. What if you were to remove that block? If you're stuck on an issue in the story, and your mind is constantly wandering, it's time to get typing. Let your train of thought whiz directly onto the page with no thought of clarity. The plain truth is, when something is put into words, it often becomes a much smaller problem. You may even find that the solution is plain to see.
I use this tactic regularly for writing these very blog posts. I start with a simple idea (such as "inspiration"). From there, I go on to create a draft and jot down a few things that come to mind on the subject. After that, I briefly outline the post and determine the thesis and points. Here's the fun part: I take each point and pour a waterfall of ideas on the subject. Doing this cuts out so much of the stress and time involved in writing from scratch. To give you an example, I'd like to share with you an excerpt of my brainstorm for this section:
(The grammar mistakes in this section are left untouched to preserve authenticity.)
Write your train of thought as it comes to you. Get literally everything on paper. This can help a lot when you come back to a project to know what you were thinking the last time so that you can pick it up again. You can't write if you don't know what you're writing. Think of it as a "rant outline". Go off on all sorts of rabbit trails and such. Who knows? You might find something extremely useful in them. It's almost like having a conversation with yourself. Set your thoughts free on paper and don't worry about their sanity, no one will see it.
Ask yourself questions. Get ideas rolling. Plop everything that you could need on the page for reference (this includes links, words that you want to use in that section, sentences to squeeze in, etc., etc.) Write notes to yourself for when you come back to it such as "research poisonous plants later".
Having this brainstorm here for reference gave me the general idea of where I was going, but, as you can see, not all of these ideas made it into the final draft. I had to cut them out to leave room to expand on others. In the end, once everything is written, I delete the brainstorms. However, I never throw away good ideas. If there's anything I didn't use in the actual post that could be used elsewhere, I take it and paste it into my "Blog Post Idea Vault" in Google Keep.
Next, let's take a look at the other type of brainstorming: "off-page brainstorming". This is where you set aside your notebook or laptop to some dark and dusty corner. Pick a starting point (like a character or plot issue) and just start thinking. You might find that those creative juices aren't backed up as far as you thought.
Off-page brainstorming is quite similar to on-page brainstorming, except that your thought process goes at a faster rate.
Another advantage of off-page brainstorming is that you’re free to move around. This may not be relevant to everyone, but for some (myself included) moving around burns off the adrenaline that may come from brainstorming.
I have no personal preference over either of these types of brainstorming; they both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to determine which works best for your situation.
On-Page Brainstorming
Pros:
The ideas are recorded and can be easily referred back to at a glance.
When a problem is put on paper, you understand its true size.
The discarded ideas are more easily saved for future use.
Cons:
The ideas come at a slower pace since they're being written down.
Writing ideas down may distract you from brainstorming.
You're not as free to move around.
Off-Page Brainstorming
Pros:
It works at a much quicker pace.
You can be fully focused on your train of thought.
You’re free to move around.
Cons:
The ideas are not recorded and can be easily forgotten.
Problems can often feel bigger in your mind.
Discarded ideas may disappear in the blink of an eye.
Switch Gears
Sometimes our pen runs dry of inspiration and simply scratches at our novel. So as not to mar our prized work, we often drop the pen. After some time passes, we eventually pick it back up with hesitance and try again.
But wait.
It's possible that getting "back to the old grind" of your work in progress won't be the fastest way to make headway. As I mentioned earlier, repetition creates a dull and monotonous mindset. If your writing feels like a "grind" (which, trust me, it often does), then it could be time to switch gears. Switching the gears of writing to a different project for some time can put you in the right place to continue with your work in progress.
I prefer to think of it as "looser writing". If writing your novel becomes stiff with the stress and pressure, then take a vacation to something different, such as...
- Editing
- Doing writing exercises/prompts
- Entering a contest
- Writing something close to your heart
- Musing (Preferably with a fancy notebook)
After that, you come back to your novel refreshed and relaxed, and you make better progress than you would have if you simply had "ground" away at it.
Rediscover Why You Write
Trapped within the pages of their novel, writers often lose sight of their purpose. When they are so focused on the "what" they forget about the "why".
Let me ask you, why do you write? Writing may simply be a hobby or pastime to some, but for others, it may be a ministry. If you are serious about pursuing the path of a writer, then take a day or two to write a mission statement. What is it that you hope your writing will accomplish? How do you aim for it to serve the Lord? Go back to the roots of your journey as an author, and recall when you began to be serious about your writing. What was your purpose? What was your goal?
Having a purpose in writing installs a new perspective in a writer. No longer is it about writing the next scene or the next sentence, but why they are writing it and what it will achieve. When there is a purpose, there is direction. Keep sight of the end and keep sight of your goal.
Whenever you feel discouraged, remind yourself of your purpose. Reread your mission statement when you feel aimless. Never lose sight of the "why".
Learn About Writing
When you blossom in the knowledge of your craft, that alone holds inspiration to pursue it. Writing websites like Story Embers and Kingdom Pen have riches of wisdom to offer growing writers. From understanding comes cause, and cause leads to action. Further understanding the art of writing excites an incentive within a writer to achieve.
A youth who toys with a sword of wood finds no true ambition in it. As he grows older, he is trained in the art of war with a true sword of steel. It is only then that he discovers the power and purpose of the blade.
If the pen is mightier than the sword, then what potential lies just around the next bend? How can you use it effectively to the glory of God? How can you further impact your readers?
As one very accomplished and well-known author said...
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ~Dr. Seuss
Read
There is nothing akin to the excitement that comes from reading a well-written novel. The plot twists, relatable characters, suspense, and so much more all work to keep us reading. What if they were used to keep us writing? Seeing a writer's accomplishment, the finished novel evokes motivation in writers to aspire to do the same.
But what if you go beyond that? You can draw motivation from excitement, but you'd only be scratching the surface of what the book has to offer. If an author writes something that excites you as a reader, then why not look at it as a writer? Probe into what it was that made the story so well-written. How did the author handle the plot? How did they establish their characters?
We're surrounded by books overflowing with knowledge beyond the story, so why not learn from the best?
There we have it! For further reading on the subject of inspiration and motivation, I would highly recommend that you check out these links to articles by Kingdom Pen:
We've romped and roamed, we've chased and raced, and now our hunt has come to its very end. I hope that the art of capturing inspiration is no longer such a mystery to all those who participated in this quest. Thank you for your time!
Adieu,
~Madelyn
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