I struggle to find the words to write to whoever is going to read this. Quite frankly, I’m surprised I’m able to write anything creative at all. That’s not to say I don’t like writing creatively. I love writing. Making stories is my passion. It's why I sit in the library or my apartment for hours on end tapping at the keyboard as words flow down from my brain to my fingertips. What I mean to say is being creative isn’t always easy, contrary to some people. And I think the hardest thing about trying to do anything imaginative is finding the inspiration. There will be days when the images just ooze out onto the page and there will be others when your canvas is as barren as the Sahara. And you’ll wonder if that spark will come back. The kind of spark that got you to make that beautiful piece of work that’s hanging on the wall right now. But you’ll find something to make. You know you will. But when? And how will you find that spark?
So, I know what I’m writing about now.
Most of the time I know what I’m going to write. I have an idea and it just comes out like sap from a tree. I say sap because I’m slow with putting words on the page. Maybe 300 words an hour on an average day. That’s roughly a page. Compared to what my friends can do I might as well be a tortoise. One such friend can wright 15 pages in a night. I don’t know how he does it. I contribute my slowness to my overwhelming want to edit while I type. The process is as slow as sap in the cold. But then there are days when that’s not the case. Nothing’s happening. Nothings coming from the tree. It's dried and withered, but I know there’s more in there. I just haven’t hit the right spot on the tree. We’ve all had this happen to us. One minute you’re on a roll and the next you’re in a rut. You try to think of something, but anything that comes out is garbage or worse, nothing comes out at all.
Now how do I get over this? Get out of that rut that’s keeping me blind and stopping me from finishing that drawing, story, or even mid-term paper. Well, there’s a few different ways. One is to just take a walk - preferably outside. Don’t just walk around in circles in your house. Sometimes getting away from the keyboard takes a little stress off your shoulders and your mind may open up. You may even find inspiration on that walk. I remember as I was reading the short story collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King he gave a little introduction to how he came up with the idea for his story, The Dune. He said that one day as he was walking down his street in the middle of the winter he saw a hill made of snow where someone had written their name in it. Once he saw that he had to go back to his home and write about it. I decided to see if I could do the same and as I was walking down the street I paid attention to the street lamps. I came up with an idea right then. So, take it upon yourself to get outside, move around a little and you may find what you need.
Another source of inspiration that has come upon me time and time again is music. I think this is probably where a lot of it comes from for most people. Half the time when I’m listening to music I get this urge to make up some sort of story to go along with it. I still remember the day when I was sitting in study hall, during high school, just listening to one of my favorite songs. It was Woodkid’s "Great Escape". A great song that inspired me to form dozens of different scenes that I intend to use. Interestingly enough, the genre is called Orchestral Pop, so it's very exciting but contains that blissful like nature that you may hear in a classical orchestra.
I think I sat here for 15 minutes trying to figure out this last paragraph that you’re now reading. The sap seems to be running dry now. At least for this article, but I think that’s good. It’s not always a bad thing to realize you have nothing else to say. Maybe that’s the end? Maybe that means you should start on something new? Maybe you should start from starch and see if that brings you somewhere else? And then again you may sit on it one night and find something else to add. Inspiration can hit you like a swift kick to the throat. Hard, fast and unexpected. Embrace it when it comes. Try to find it and if none of my advice worked then sleep on it. I can’t tell you how many times that I just took the night off and came back fresh with new ideas the following day.
Link to Woodkid’s Great Escape:
