When you want to write but your well is tapped

[shadowstriker86]

So i got a book from my dad on xmas about becoming a writer for movies and tv shows, and one of the main rules is that if you're a writer, you should be perpetually writing, but right now im at the point where im getting no inspiration from anything and i have no ideas in my head. Anyone have any tips to restart my inspiration?

 

[Marter]

Write something completely unrelated just to get the words flowing? Even forum posts can count for this, I suppose. Get into an IM debate with a friend. Write a review (please; User Reviews needs more people), write a short story, do a history paper on a topic you're interested in. Something.

Or do something that doesn't have anything to do with writing. Watch ten straight movies and then try to write.

I dunno. Never really had this problem.

Also, advice forum. Moving!

 

[Cookiegerard]

One of the things I do for drawing aliens is literally just draw a scribble and try to see shapes or a design in it, to make something really cool. You could do something like that for writing. Look at an object, an object, and work from that.

I am holding a mug, could there be something special about this mug? Maybe someone important had this mug and it was passed down to you? What did this person do, why did they do what they did? Etc etc...

Writing it out, it sounds stupid, but in my head I swear it makes perfect sense.

 

[SmoothGlover]

There are two things I find help if you just can't get yourself writing. Again, these are things that help me, I hope they help you, but I guess they might not.

The reason I sometimes have trouble like that is because there are too many distractions (subconscious or otherwise) around. So the trick is to try and get rid of those distractions.

Tip number one: Go for a long walk in the dark - This one I find works the best, although I do live in the rural UK so it might not work as well in a more urban environment. Walking out into the countryside in the dark gives you a chance to just clear out all the distractions of life. It's a strange feeling, almost feels like closing tabs in a browser. I don't know if its the exercise element or the seclusion/quiet/darkness or a mixture of them, but after a while I feel completely relaxed and that's when inspiration tends to strike.

Tip number two: A little 'alone time'. What with being Human and the propagation of the species being a constant worry, I have always found that I seemingly have a lot more focus and brain power to dedicate to a problem after the act of self-love.


So there you go. Long walks in the dark and masturbation. How to successfully clear your mind/look like a serial killer.

 

[Havtorn]

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Pablo Picasso, and it goes: "Inspiration exist, but it has to find you working".

So basically do what was suggested earlier and just write about whatever. Describe your first relationship as if you're writing a short story intended for a third party, then change how the story ends. Copy-paste the first page of a story from the interwebs and continue it. Take the characters from your current work and put them into a totally different setting and/or situation. Put dinosaurs on the titanic. Whatever, really. When trying to jumpstart your creative brain there is no bad idea. You're never going to show these text to anyone, so just go nuts.

I wouldn't suggest forum posts or chatrooms, though, or anything that has an immediate reward. But that's just me. Being creative, for me, is often aided by being unfulfilled.

 

[thesilentman]

Force yourself to write well by writing about random things. Start here; start with User Reviews (like Marter said) and attempt to say exactly what you're thinking on a topic.

And read. Read a lot. I recommend the classics if you want to see some real sentence construction. Charles Dickens beats the utter crap out of whomever your favorite author is on writing ability because it's all grammatically correct and descriptive.

The first test of whether you write well is to write fan-fiction. I'm serious. If you can write a legitimately amazing fanfic that people like, chances are that you'll amaze a lot of people. Rule of thumb: if you're able to beat out the source material in your fanfic, you have what it takes to be a good writer.

Another way to get better at writing is to occasionally write your stream of consciousness. Write for a certain amount of time continuously, and then see if you can expand on any ideas that you may have wrote down.

And actually write on paper. This is because we tend to use the creative side of our brains more if we write with one hand. Sure typing's efficient, but it won't do you any good if you're continually stuck on fresh ideas. Type only when you're sure that what you're putting down is final. Otherwise, you will hate yourself when it comes to heavy editing. Throwing away all that work to make it better is hellish for writers.

If all else fails, disconnect your Internet and write in solitude for a few hours each day (at your own pace). What ever method you're going to use, I wish you good luck. Someday, I'd like to read what you've wrote.

Hope I helped, and have a blast writing. Enjoy the astounding powers of creation that you'll only get through writing.

 

[Avistew]

As others have said... Successful writers usually say that they just write all the time. They see it as their job. I remember one author who explained that on top of his day job, he made sure to write for 8 hours a day (when he still had a day job, before living off his work). Sometimes he didn't feel like it, sometimes everything he did sucked. But he said, if it's your job, you've got to do it anyways. It's no different when it's writing.

You have no inspiration, ok. Write a super short story about something random. A guy goes buy bread. What happens to him? Write that. When you've managed to write something, often "inspiration" comes to you, and you can start working on your actual projects.

If you're writing something and stuck in a scene, just start writing it anyways. Chances are you'll have to start over that scene, but maybe you'll get something out of it. Some of my favourite scenes I've written started off while I was in no mood to write, yet did it anyways.

The more you write, the more you'll get used to doing it anyways. Don't expect to only do it when you're at your best. Writing isn't something that's stuck, unless you publish it online right away. Most writing careers allow you to change what you've done, so it really doesn't have to be perfect the first time around. But if there isn't a first time around then there is nothing to improve on. So write /something/. It doesn't matter what at this point. Once you have enough material, you can choose before writing more or working on the existing one.

 

[Cpu46]

I listen to music and think of what scene could be playing with it in the background. It helps me create characters on the spot and everything just flows from there. A lot of Two Steps From Hell and Immediate gets my creative spark going.

 

[Darken12]

This is every writer's final boss. If you can defeat it, you'll make it as a writer. If you can't, you will always, always fail.

Nobody has a silver bullet for you. If you are going to defeat this, you need to find the way that works for you, which may be completely different than anything anyone's suggesting.

Writing is a job, and those 8-12 hours a day of writing aren't going to fill themselves if you don't find something to write about.

 

[Saviordd1]

-snip-

Personally I find that inspiration comes from everywhere.

Walking, talking, interacting, media, books, smells, sounds, music, pictures.

It can all fire off a thread of thinking that can spawn into something.

Also, don't forget that you don't need to always write something fantastic or new or even interesting. Whatever you want to write is fine.

Want to write a short fan fiction? Go ahead.
Boring essay on the writing style of Bronte? (Hint, the answer is dull) go ahead.
Small journal like entry about a flower you saw? Go ahead.
A 100 page essay about picking your nose? Fucking go for it.

You don't always have to be writing creatively, as long as your writing.

 

[Saviordd1]

So i got a book from my dad on xmas about becoming a writer for movies and tv shows, and one of the main rules is that if you're a writer, you should be perpetually writing, but right now im at the point where im getting no inspiration from anything and i have no ideas in my head. Anyone have any tips to restart my inspiration?

Write anyways.

While its nice to think that you can wait for inspiration and create then, and only then, that's not how writing works. I'd say at least three-quarters of the writing I do is something I have to sit down and make myself do. If you don't have any ideas, fine.

Write anyways.

Write a description of an environment in your favorite game.

Write part of your own biography.

Write some slashfic.

Write a story where nothing ever happens.

Write about the human experience.

Write about loneliness, the Porcupine's Dilemma, fear, love, and everything in between.

Just write.

]http://zenpencils.com/comic/90-ira-glass-advice-for-beginners/

^This also gives good advice.

Just saying great link! I know several people who could use to see that.