Young Writers Society

Does anyone know how one might go about finding inspiration in a dry spell? I am going through a black fugue at the moment, a large case of writers block, and I was wondering if anyone might know of some way to bypass it for inspiration? Much Apreciated.

-Gabriel Niite-

Do some writing "games", like 50sentences (where you write one sentence for each word, using one character/pair of characters) or those funky little "put your music player on shuffle and write a short piece fitting the song during the time it plays".

Inspiration comes from the world around you.

Take a walk.

Inhale every detail.

Focus on something you might not usually focus on. Like the color of the clouds or the potholes in the street.

Listen to music.

Crank it up until it's all you can hear.

Take the lyrics, interpret them.

And then write.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. It comes from nowhere. Someone can say one word and just like that you're inspired.

Just think. Unwind. Take a simple quote or sentence and make it the most diverse thing you've ever heard. Give it a good to honest meaning. Give imagery. pull out your feelings and smear them all over that paper.

or as Angel of Death said, take a walk. What do you see? Who do you see? What do you think is going on in their life? Who do you think they are, and why?

There are so many things so be inspired by, and I know exactly how it feels to be completely blocked. But anything could be an inspiration. Anything.

There are many things you can do..

Talk a walk
Look at photography
Read others' poetry, line by line,
Read a book
This website can help.. oneword.com OR writeordie.com
One thing I've done in the past is go through the dictionary, pick a random word, and just start writing about it. Don't give yourself a limit of any kind, don't expect anything from it: Just write.

Good luck.

-Coral-

I agree with the above, but the technique that works best for me doesn't really rely on inspiration. I write everyday, unless I don't have the time/am ill. When it comes to staving off writer's block, and even getting out of it, the results are surprising: you might not like what you get at first, but your mind gets into the habit of poetry, every day, and every day you're in the rhythm of writing it. When I did NaPo, after a few days of struggling with what to write I didn't have to worry about block -- some days were slow but it's become a habit.

Something I find always helps is to have a drink and just write whatever comes into your head. Alcohol seems to make the transition of ideas to paper much smoother.