by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
“I only write when I’m inspired, so I see to it that I’m inspired every morning at nine o’clock.” by Peter De Vries
I’ve always said much the same thing as Mr. De Vries. For me, when people ask, “Where do you get your ideas?” I say, “I sit down and decide to have an idea.”
That’s not exactly true. I sit down and decide to have ten ideas, usually. I’ll type them on a black document or my computer’s notepad or sometimes in longhand. Then I read them over a few times and decide what seems like the best one. Brainstorm as many as possible, then be selective.
I do love writing. I’ve always loved writing. But I’m very rarely inspired. If I am inspired, I’m usually caught unawares, rummaging for paper or my phone when I’m driving or about to fall asleep.
For me, writing is more of a discipline. You set the guidelines for how disciplined you want to be with it (as always, I recommend that you set the bar low). It’s less about the muse and more about just moving forward, however you can. If that means skipping ahead to a scene you’re excited about, that works just as well as working through the book in a linear fashion.
You can sit there looking at a blank page and wait for inspiration to strike. Or you can brainstorm ideas and force one out. After a while, the process comes a lot more naturally.
How inspired are you when you write?
Writing Myth: Writers Must be Inspired: Click To TweetImage by Arek Socha from Pixabay
Very true. If we only wrote when inspired we'd rarely write.
Absolutely. I wouldn’t have written in years, ha.
I have inspiration at strange moments, too, Elizabeth. And when I do, I try to make notes so that I don't forget. But I agree that writing takes discipline, so whether you're inspired or not, it's important to keep writing. On those 'blah' days, you can always re-read scenes, check editing, that sort of thing. Sometimes those 'not inspired' days are good days to revise the work you did when you wrote in a mad flurry…
There are always writing-related tasks to be done!
Very interesting & thought-provoking approach. I’m an experienced biz-industry writer (multi-industry articles, interviews, collateral copy/content, newspaper columns, etc) but yearn to let my creative side free. On the biz side of writing you have topic, subject, audience, word ct., & deadline given you. The great thing about creative is there are no boundaries. The bad thing about creative is there are no boundaries!
You definitely know how to write on demand! I’d imagine creative writing might seem both fun and a little scary! In the end, I think the type of constant creative writing that I do has a lot in common with your business writing. I’m writing on demand too, and I demand it all the time, ha.
It's still all about placing but in chair and fingers on keyboard!
That’s what gets the job done!
I have so many ideas, I will never run out. I write several mystery series and I also have a standalone that one of my readers thinks should be a series. I am now writing a love story (not a romance novel, as it does not follow the rules of that genre) and have an idea for a romance novel. Who needs inspiration. I don't have enough time to write the books that are already in my head.
So very true! I wish we had more time to work on all the ideas we have!
Love this! I always have a couple of stories spinning in my head, so when I have time to write, it's easy to jump right in.
I don't wait for inspiration either – it comes when my fingers are on the keyboard :)
You grab it when you can get it! I totally understand that. :)
I get inspired but not by getting ideas. My inspiration comes when I actually write. I'm not a "successful" writer as the world might see it, but I write all…the…time, which is my success. Love writing.
That’s the definition of writing success for me! It sounds like the very process of writing inspires you to write more. :)
Hi Elizabeth – usually I haven't planned, something pops up – as tomorrow via a prompt for a Reading Group … and then I can post about that thingie that's hooked me. Sometimes I'm overloaded with bright ideas – not good … eventually things pan out. If I was writing a book – I'm not sure how I'd cope – thanks for your thoughts and then the comments – always tidbits to come across – cheers Hilary
I think, for you, it’s your natural interest that generates ideas…your curiosity about the world around you. It’s definitely working!
I rarely know what I'm going to write until I sit down and open the document. Then it just comes. I'm often surprised by what happens, even though I know it's all in my brain someplace disguised as something else until its story time.
It does seem to be an almost magical process, doesn’t it? We dredge it up from our brains somewhere!
That's great advice to set a lower bar. I often do nothing because I am waiting for a bog block of time. A bit done is better than none done.
Just a little bit adds up over time!