As a writer, it's incredibly easy to fall into the pit of writer's block and get trapped there for hours. It's miserable and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. That is why I thought up a quick list of ways I get inspired whenever I'm feeling stuck in a rut or when I just can't come up with any good ideas. This is written mostly with creative writing in mind, but I think it can transfer over to other kinds of writing as well.
1. Listen to movie scores
Because the scores are responsible for a lot of the subtle emotions conveyed in films, they are good ways to get yourself into a certain mindset. You can listen to something triumphant or something meandering. There are songs that make you want to cry and songs that make you want to go out and find a cause to fight for. And these songs are all instrumental so there's no lyrics to distract you from writing.
2. Find an artist whose work catches you eye
I'm on DeviantArt specifically for inspiration. There are a ton of talented artists on the website, and there are so many different types of art. There are landscapes if you're stuck with word building, or portraits if you want to work out characterization. And then there are just pictures that make you want to their story, whatever you think it is.
3. Read poetry
As a person that doesn't read a lot of poetry, let alone write any of it, I find poems to be really inspiring. Poems can convey the same amount of story and emotion as a novel can but in a much small space. So once you find a poem you like, you just have to take its story and expand.
4. Take a shower
I know it sounds weird, but showers are a really great place to think. Everything you're doing when you shower is pretty mindless, so your brain gets to wander.
5. Think about the last book/movie/tv show that stuck with you
For me, sometimes it can even be a video game. There's a reason that this story stuck with you, and maybe through finding out why, you can find something of your own. I recently saw Get Out, and there are a ton of ideas I could pull from that movie.
6. Revisit old ideas
If you're anything like me, you have folders of one page documents titled "ideas." If you're even more like me, you have pages and pages of journals and receipts and napkins with ideas scribbled across them. For some reason, those ideas didn't make the cut at the time of writing them so I put them aside. When I look back through them, I can always find a few that make me want to put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard).
7. Google
When in doubt, try google. Google is usually a last ditch effort for me, but I never come away empty handed. There are tons of websites and blogs dedicated to writing and writing prompts. There are generators and forums and websites just about getting over writer's block. I use Google because it's like a bottomless toolbox that always seems to have exactly what you need.
