Inspiration for writing can hit us anywhere, which is why I recommend caring a journal around with you everywhere you go. However, inspiration can be evasive.

There will be times when I’m sitting at my computer staring at the blinking cursor on a blank word doc trying to decide what to write—waiting for inspiration to strike. And finally, just as I’m about to give up…it still doesn’t come. During times like these, there are a few tricks I like to do to tease the creativity out of me, and for the most part, they work pretty well.

Where are You Inspiration? Why Can’t I Find You? Why Have You Gone Away?

First and Foremost: Just Write

For me, even when I don’t feel inspired, I make it a point to just write. Even when I’m not sure what I want to write about or where a story is going, just sitting down at my computer and writing some throw away lines gets my brain working. I eventually stumble upon a flow that I follow, which allows me to explore ideas or concepts without much pressure. During this exploration is when inspiration starts to take root. It plants itself like a seed and starts to grow, and I get excited. Sometimes it is just a matter of sitting down and just writing.

Explore Using Prompts

I used to hate the thought of using prompts to write a story. I had it in my mind that using them meant I had no creativity. But recently, I’ve started to warm up to them. They ask you to think through certain scenarios or explore different elements of your story. They give you the little nudge you need.  

Go for a Walk

I know this advice might seem a little strange, but when I find myself starved for inspiration, I occasionally go outside for a walk. I find that when the blood gets flowing and endorphins kick in, the ideas start to flow. At the very least, it gets me out of the house and gives me room to explore scenes, character, and plot in a less stringent more organic way.

Watch or Read Other Stories

When I’m feeling at a loss for story ideas, I put on a movie I’ve never watched or read one of the many unread books on my bookshelf. A lot my writing is inspired by the writing of others. Of course this isn’t groundbreaking advice. So many writers out there turn to other works for inspiration. It is a piece of advice that is easy to overlook though. So, I thought I would mention it here.

Yes, inspiration can be evasive. But if you just sit around waiting for it to strike, odds are you won’t get much writing done. So I encourage you all to go for a walk, start using some writing prompts, or just sit down and write non-sense for a few hours. Eventually you’ll find the flow of the story and surprise yourself with how much you’ll be able to get done.