Get Inspired - Life

So far all of the different sources of inspiration I’ve talked about have been media related, (music, images, and media) but today I want to talk about how you can get inspired simply by living.

 

It's everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

Get Inspired - Media

I am a couch potato and if you’re anything like me you can sit and marathon shows and movies for hours each day without feeling bad about it. To an outsider it might look like we writers spend a lot of time idly watching T.V. but for many of us studying well-made shows is a form of research. There is a part of our brains that’s actively working to deconstruct what we’re watching as it happens. We’re following the flow of the plot beat for beat, analyzing how the dialogue makes us feel, essentially we’re watching as viewers while thinking as writers.

Get Inspired - Images

  

I do hope to actually play one day.

For someone who has never played Dungeons and Dragons I have a pretty sizable collection of source books. To me these books are a goldmine of inspiration, the bestiaries especially. When I’m feeling like I’m in a creative rut just thumbing through the monster manuals sometimes will get the gears turning again as I study the images and see possibilities. These books are full of awesome, terrifying creatures and landscapes which makes them, in my opinion, a fantastic set of reference guides, and not just for science fiction/ fantasy authors. Some of the Eldritch abominations in the new compendiums could make even veteran Lovecraft readers uncomfortable at the sight of them.

Get Inspired - Music

Some people need absolute silence to focus on their writing, for them music is a distraction, to me it’s fuel. I cannot write without listening to music. It doesn’t feel right, it throws me out of whatever I’m working on and I can’t get into that zone where I’m fully focused on writing without music.

But I can’t just listen to any old thing, nope I have a playlist of songs across a few genres that get me pumped, put me in the write head-space (heh), trigger the emotions I wish to evoke, and make the writing sessions feel more fun.

Feel free to laugh at my tastes.

Get Writing Challenge - Introduction

I want to try something new with my blog. To tell the truth I haven’t been writing nearly as much as I should be and it’s been far too long since my last post. I need a swift kick!

With Nanowrimo just around the corner and the year quickly coming to a close many writers want to fulfill their dreams of putting ink to page, or (myself included) log more hours working on their craft. But whether you’re in the early stages of planning your first novel or in the middle of your twentieth we all hit road bumps.

Beginning on Monday I’m starting what I call the Get Writing Challenge which will be broken down into three parts. In week one I will talk about the different ways I get motivated, how I draw inspiration from internal and external sources. Week two will be all about getting organized. The methods I use to bring order to the chaos which in turn makes sitting down to do the work MUCH less daunting. And finally the theme in week three will be about getting over yourself, freeing yourself from anxiety, letting go of ego and getting out of your own damn way. 

These are all very personal subjects to cover, week three especially because everyone knows a writer’s harshest critic is himself, however by doing this challenge I will offer an inside look at what works for me in the hopes that it will encourage or inspire anyone who also wants to tear down their creative barriers and get inspired. 

I also want to hear feedback, what works for you, what doesn’t. Everybody is wired differently but we can all learn from each other’s struggles and triumphs.

So join me on Monday as I begin the Get Writing Challenge and see how I push myself to new creative heights with the first installment, GetInspired – Music.

Get Writing!