It’s one of those days-you know the one-where your to-do list is staring at you from across the room like a wild animal and rather than get up and tame it you find yourself doing anything but. I’d like to say that everyday I wake up and skip to my nearby coffee shop to wax poetic about travel but the truth is that sometimes I hit a wall and have to climb over a writer’s block that feels like a veritable Everest.
We’re all slaves to our craft and although it’s a labor of love, my writing is very closely tied to my emotions so when inspiration runs dry you better believe the ink does too. Today is one such day and (God, help me) it happens to be a day where I have eight stories to write! Yikes! In an effort to kick my writer’s block, I’m going to share my top ways to find inspiration when you just can’t seem to find the words.
Scrap the to-do list…and start again.
This might be very Howard Hughes of me but sometimes I take comfort in scrapping my to-do list and starting fresh. Often my to-do list has things that are already crossed off or are no longer a priority, so narrowing the list makes it seem daunting. Also, writing down all you need to do can act as a jumpstart to actually get you doing things. Of course, some writer blocks are heavier than others and when your to-do list is already refreshed, move on to the next tip.
Step away and clear your head.
We are not vending machines of stories and just because you feel pressure to churn out blog content or write up a story doesn’t necessarily mean you are ready to. The fact is that writing is an art and unless you approach it with 100% passion and dedication, you’ll end up with some lackluster article that will reflect poorly on your writing and site. If inspiration is running dry, just step away from the task at hand for a bit and clear your head. Do yoga, write in a journal, read a book, browse websites, go for a run, take a shower-whatever it is, sometimes stepping away is all you need to jump back in.
Look towards your favorite bloggers & authors.
One of the ways I find the inspiration to start a story is by looking at what some of my favorite bloggers and authors are doing. It is inspiring to see some of these rockstar writers galavanting around the world and writing, which almost always kicks over my writer’s block and has me writing.
Just start writing what you see.
Here’s a trick I do when I am having trouble starting a story: I’ll write what I see. If you look through some of my posts you’ll notice I start it off by writing where I am at that very moment. Perhaps I’m describing the coffee shop and its low jazz or maybe I’m painting a photo of the airport I’m in and the languages I hear; to start writing what I see helps me start my story.
*For more tips on blogging and travel writing check out the BLOG TIPS section or TRAVEL WRITING section. How do you kick writer’s block & find inspiration? Share your tips, tricks and comments below!
Katie MacLeod says
Stepping away is usually a huge help for me, even if it’s just for ten or fifteen minutes. I often find that leaving a story overnight and coming back to it the next day can make a big difference - although of course, that only works if the deadline isn’t imminent! I’m going to give the ‘scrapping the to do list’ a try next time too… I’m a slave to my to-do list sometimes!
Really great tips! I find I struggle with writer’s block often (it’s either that, or my perfectionist side won’t let me start something because it’s easier to not start than not produce something perfect, sigh…) so these are great tips. Definitely ones I’ll keep in mind next time I’m stuck.