Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting started.
After all, writers often have a love or passion for the written word. Joy is often found by pressing a pen or pencil to paper and creating flowing sentences that will serve as your literary foundation for a work of art. Those who love to write have a passion for storytelling; one cannot easily shake the desire to craft worlds and images from mere letters strung together in differing patterns. From these patterns come beautiful tapestries of literature that have left a big impact on how we hold ourselves as a society and as individuals. Where would our creative world be today without the influence of works from authors like Dickens or Hemmingway? Stories, with their creative and thoughtful origins in word weaving, are an impactful part of our world today.
Despite this love and importance in life, it is hard to find inspiration at times. We stare off into the distance, fingers hovered over our keyboard keys, but nothing seems to flow from the creative stream within our minds. The stream and our imaginative well have run completely dry. It happens to all writers and authors at some point or another. In fact, it happens so often that we have given this writer-associated condition a name: writer's block. Those two words bring a sense of dread to any writer or author that hears them. Nobody likes to be stuck in a creative rut or behind an immovable creative wall. Not being able to spin the patterns of literature is almost like death to those who consider themselves weavers of words.
However, the great thing about the sickness known as writer's block is that, like any illness, there are ways to help treat it. In fact, writer's block is almost one of the more benevolent, evil creatures because it can be cured in many different ways. Often, it just takes years of experience to conquer and many trips to behind the writer's block to completely understand. However, as writers grow and go along, they find ways to fight back and combat the writing slum that occurs when one seemingly reaches a creative dead-end.
One method of fighting the dreaded writer's block is to look for inspiration within your own life. After all, nobody knows you better than you. Your day to day may seem humdrum to you because you are the one living that life on a daily basis, but it is likely that you have an interesting story, an inspiring experience, or a funny memory that could serve as great inspiration for a piece of writing. Think back on your own development: how did you get to this moment and what themes are present in that journey that would be interesting for a piece of writing. If you think that your experiences are not enough to break this creative block, ask friends and family members for pieces of their history.
Speaking of history, history is actually an interesting place to look for creative fuel. Often amazing stories to situations arise from old treaties, religions, battles, folklore, and society mythology. You can learn a lot about culture and the concept of community as a whole by researching aspects related to the world or specific cultural history. Many stories are formed under this idea and by examining or analyzing the world of others. Now, I am not saying to go and plagiarize the work of other authors and writers; after all, this is an immoral and wretched concept. However, just like history, it is okay to find inspiration within the work of other people. Oftentimes, the best stories form from a person reading or watching a different piece of work and focusing on a single subject or theme found within the work itself. Don't be afraid to take inspiration from other works because by working together, we form a stronger backbone for creative writing and liberties.
However, despite all the advice I could give concerning writer's block, the best piece of advice that I have followed is to do nothing. This seems like an empty piece of advice on the surface, but it could be reread as to take a step away and to relax one's mind. Often, thinking too hard or long on a subject is a tiring or draining process. We get so caught up in the smaller details that we often miss aspects of the big picture. Due to this, it is imperative to remember that sometimes, one just has to let the creative inspiration come to you. You can't force it to come if it really desires to stay away. Just go about your normal life and keep your mind replaced or open.
You will find inspiration in the least likely of places.
