Foreword: I was on Google looking for inspiration, ideas, somethign to get me over this current hump and I found this article “Writing Inspiration: 99 Ways to Get Inspired to Write in 2021“. The writer is Ayodeji Awosika. The article has given me life.
I hope it is as helpful for you.
I Include an excerpt and a link to the full article.
Writing Inspiration: 99 Ways to Get Inspired to Write in 2021
Need some writing inspiration? You’ve come to the right place.
Ugh, it happened again.
Another week or month has passed, and you’ve made zero progress on your writing goals.
Deep down you know your writing is important, but you can’t take consistent action.
What’s really going on here?
The truth is, you don’t feel inspired.
You can’t help but marvel at other writers who do persist, and have a large body of work you can’t even fathom achieving.
How do you get there?
How do you find the inspiration you need to stay the course long enough to become the prolific, popular, and successful freelance writer you dream of becoming?
The Dirty Little Lie You Tell Yourself About Writing Inspiration
If you’re struggling to find writing inspiration, you might be guilty of “believing in magic” when it comes to your writing process.
People who fail to do the things they say they want to do believe in fairy tales, like this one:
One day, for no reason whatsoever, I will find the ultimate source of inspiration that will carry me through to the end of the writing career rainbow. It will happen in an instant, and I’ll never have to “start over” again.
They believe successful writers have “made it,” and have no problem staying motivated because they’ve “arrived.”
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Regardless of how successful you are, there will be days you feel uninspired. In fact, what once seemed like a passion-filled calling can turn into a bit of a slog after a while.
Professional athletes love the game, but they don’t necessarily want to train their bodies every single day.
Business owners love money and recognition, but they don’t necessarily enjoy the process of getting their business off the ground.
You love expressing yourself with words, but you won’t necessarily enjoy each and every writing session.
You have to learn to inspire yourself every day if you want to turn pro and become a popular author or successful writer. To keep your inspiration fresh, you’ll have to find various unique ways to get inspired.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
Fortunately, I have 99 different writing ideas — use them whenever you’re struggling to turn intention into action.
So here’s how to get inspired to write:
1. Do the One Thing They Always Tell Writers Not to Do
Watch T.V. Some of the best writing in the world can be seen in the scripts of your favorite shows. Pay attention to the dialogue, listen for the clever storytelling methods, and use them in your own writing.
Use the ideas of the show creator and the personalities of the characters to get inspired. Think about what goes through Don Draper’s mind when he writes an ad on Mad Men or the way Carrie Bradshaw wove her own life into her daily column on Sex and the City.
Once I paid attention to the writing in my favorite shows, I drew inspiration from the stories and turned a seemingly useless activity into creative fuel.
2. Read Your Old Love Letters
If you’ve been writing for a while, you must have gotten a compliment or two about your work. Keep a file with positive comments you’ve received about your writing. Whether they’re emails or blog comments, reading over compliments you received and hearing how you’ve helped people will motivate you.
3. Embrace Your Insignificance
Realize the universe doesn’t care about you. Oftentimes, we lack inspiration because of fear. We’re afraid because we feel like the world is waiting for us to fail, like there’s a spotlight shining on our inadequacy. We live on a planet that’s one of billions of planets in one of billions of galaxies, each of which contains billions of stars.
In the grand scheme of things, you’re insignificant. Nothing you do “matters,” except that it matters to you. Go for it, because you have nothing to lose.
4. Make the Subtle Shift from Goal-Setting to Habit-Forming
Goals give you inspiration by providing an end point, but habits weave inspiration into the core of your being and make it automatic.
Instead of saying, “I want to finish my manuscript,” say “I want to write 30 minutes per day.” The second statement comes without the pressure of expectation. You’re just putting yourself in a position for continual inspiration.
Habits trump goals every time. The most prolific writers aren’t the most goal-oriented. They’re built to show up every day and do the work.
5. Tell Yourself You’re Not Good Enough
I once heard a story about a successful real estate agent who was constantly asked about how to break into the industry. He gave them all the same answer, “Don’t get into real estate. You’re not cut out for it.” He gave that answer because he knows it acted as reverse psychology for those who were cut out for it, and filtered out those that weren’t.
Try a little reverse psychology on yourself. Try to convince yourself you’re not good enough, and then get offended. Of course you’re good enough! You were born to write. Trick yourself to put a fire in your belly and get inspired.
6. Start a Chain Gang
Buy a calendar. Mark an x on the calendar each time you complete a writing session. When you complete a few days in a row, the x’s start to form a chain. The longer the chain grows, the more inspired you are to keep writing. Picture a calendar with 29 days marked off. You’d almost certainly write on day 30, right?
Visuals and imagery are powerful. Seeing a representation of the work you put in will inspire you to keep working.
7. Become the G.O.A.T.
Focus on becoming so great you can’t be ignored.
Most writers are worried about what the competition is doing and idolize their favorite writers. Instead, you’ll focus on being so good the competition will start to watch you. Embrace the attitude of Michael Jordan in his first few seasons. He knew the league was going to belong to him before it actually did. He put his head down, did the work, and demolished the competition to become the Greatest of All Time. You can be the same.
Put your head down, write, and one day people will say “Who is this?”
8. Take a Dump
Have a bowel movement. I first learned this unusual writing tip from James Altucher. He says if your body isn’t “clear,” your mind won’t be either. You may also come up with some interesting ideas while you’re, erm, indisposed.
9. Embrace Your Inner Hulk
Get angry. Anger is easy to express. When you’re angry you know exactly why something pisses you off. What pisses you off about the world, your niche, or life in general? Vent your frustrations and your powerful words will pour out.
10. Become a Better Writer Without Becoming a Better Writer
Have you ever seen a professional athlete who’s in a slump? Nothing about his routine changes, he plays with the same quality teammates, and the team is run by the same coaching staff. Later, you find out he was having personal issues and that was the source of his decline.
Look at Tiger Woods. He never recovered from his personal scandal. What does that tell you? It tells you life outside your craft is just as important as practicing it, if not more.
Think about how many aspects of your life can affect your writing. Your diet, exercise routine (or lack thereof), relationships with friends and family, and stress level are a few among many factors influencing your writing. When you lack inspiration for writing, look at other areas of your life. If those aren’t going well, your writing will suffer.
Good, yes? Read the full article here.
Mark Earnest Johnson 