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Back in my college days, I noticed a trend in my fellow English major. The majority seemed to spend a lot of their free time reading. It got to the point where I felt almost guilty for not gobbling up the latest trending book on a Friday night. Instead I was playing intramural sports, meeting with confused freshmen,  and planning hall events.

When I got over the fact that I wasn’t the bookworm writer, I began to see how these other life things informed my writing in a very real way. Okay book-lover-writers, hear me when I say NOTHING is wrong with reading, in fact, there is a lot right with it. But I’m pretty certain that if you want to be a writer who can create a believable character, do justice to your dialogue and keep a reader hooked, you’ve got to find inspiration from more than just someone else’s stories.

So how do you find inspiration for your writing? The answer will look different every time.  However, I think these tips might help you along the way.

 6 quick tips

With all of these tips, I recommend bringing along a little (or big) notebook.

1. Take a walk. There is nothing quite so slow as walking. Yes, I mean slow. We are not used to being slow, to paying attention. Talk a walk and you are having an experience with the sounds, sights and smells of the world around you. It’s the perfect way to ground yourself and refresh your writing with accurate sensory descriptions?

2. People-watch. I’ve done some pretty great people-watching while in hospital waiting rooms, on restaurant patios or mall benches. Put yourself in a public space and then pay attention to body language, to facial expressions and to how conversations begin, escalate and end.

3. Go somewhere new. This might be hard for those recluse-writer-types out there, but it can do wonders for your words. This new place could be a different coffee shop, park or unfamiliar city (even country)! Get out of your comfort zone, and I’ll bet your descriptions of places and cultures will find a refreshing zest.

4. Listen to soundtracks. Nix the lyrical stuff, just let the raw complexity of these scores light your imagination on fire. These sounds are meant to be paired with stories, so see what your mind weaves as you listen.

5. Start a conversation with a stranger. I realize this could be terrifying for an introvert, but it doesn’t have to be as crazy as you think. Simply go beyond pleasantries with your barista or sales clerk. Ask a question about the weather or a sports team, give someone a compliment and see where it leads. You could be chatting with the person who inspires your next main character.

6. Read something you wouldn’t normally read. I realize that I kind of gave reading a hard time in this post, but past and recent literature will always be a part of what informs new writing. This time though, instead of sticking to what you’re comfortable with,  pick up something new. Try local newspapers, scientific studies, travel brochures, opinion pieces. Branch out, and you might just be surprised at how the tidbits of information you pick up can become part of your novel, character  or poem.

I hope my 6 tips will help you find inspiration for your writing, and I hope you comment with a few of your own!

*originally posted on suzieruewrites.com

Pep talks are just a thing that need to happen every so often. So here’s your pep talk of the day.

I’ve been going through giving feedback to the people who submitted to me for Pitch to Publication. I got some AMAZEBALLS submissions. Seriously. Pretty much every submission had at least one thing I liked about it.

So I’ve been going through to send feedback and about every other entry has me thinking “Why didn’t I choose this one? It’s amazing.” Most of my feedback so far hasn’t been feedback at all but more of a “Sorry I couldn’t work on all the manuscripts. Please keep writing. I think you’re awesome and we should be friends and I actually did like your book.”

Like that, but with fewer run-on sentences.

You probably have heard time and again that you shouldn’t let rejections discourage you. But that doesn’t change the fact that rejections are the worst. Even the most stoic writers feel the sting of rejection.

Which is why it’s important to have regular pick-me-ups. It’s important to have people tell you they believe in you.

I believe in you! I mean, I don’t know personally. But I still believe in you! You are a talented, wonderful person. And you can write the thing.

Keep writing the thing. The thing will be great.

 

What I’m about to tell you is no secret. It is not groundbreaking. But I vehemently believe it’s important and so must be told, even if it is only a reminder.

Creativity is a wellspring that must be filled.

December and January were prolific months for my novel. I was connecting with the characters and their comical banter surged through my fingertips like a downpour. And I won’t lie; it was wonderful. I found a rhythm, and I was excited to see where it would lead.

Then, the worst kind of reality happened. Yep, that one.

Writer’s block.

(And in case you’re wondering, I didn’t miss the irony. What was my last blog post about? Oh, just combating writer’s block. HA.)

I had reached a transition in my novel. A scene that would change nearly all of my characters and catapult the plot forward. Beyond this, it’s a technical scene—one that I have zero clue how to construct. In my mind, this scene exists only in predetermined, automated movements, each action an awkward robot. (Think C-3PO running across Tatooine.) In other words, I’m missing the beauty. I can’t find the way or the words to make this scene the epic and eloquent foray it should be. (And yes, I know most of this will come in editing. Still doesn’t make it any less intimidating.)

Following the advice of my past self, I should have taken a breath and plunged into the arctic depths, writing the scene however choppy it would’ve been. But, I didn’t. I let if fester. And that, along with the ever-typical busyness of life, has dried the fount of creativity I had a few months ago.

Even writing this blog post was exhausting. Composing emails at work burdensome. I swear, even my texts are suffering. I feel artistically empty, nothing from which to draw inspiration and imagination. And short of a muse, I’m forced to find my own.

So, how do I restock my creativity? By reading, of course.

As obvious as this is, I find it truly works for me. I’ve taken three writing retreats in my life (highly recommended, by the way), and at the start of each, I was naively ready to tear through chapter upon chapter only to find I was spending more time staring at the wall than I was at the hollow Word document. And each time, without fail, I turned to a novel, spending a full day engulfing the story, thirsty as a desert wanderer.

And let me be clear here—reading for the sake of writing, of producing, will not cure what ails you. This strategy has helped me, I believe, only because I was reading for the sake of reading. It was self-care. It was the inexplicable joy of discovering a story page by page. And the laughter, the tears, the love I derived from and for these fictitious people and their make-believe worlds replenished my soul and my ability to create.

So, my wish for you is simple: Take care of yourselves. Go to yoga, stroll through an art museum, play a round of golf, or ride to the top of a Ferris wheel and feel the moonlight on your upturned face. Fall into a story. Fill that wellspring.

Then, ever so coolly, open your laptop and begin.