You want to write fiction—or perhaps you’re already an author—and you have a challenge.
Days and weeks go by, and you don’t write a word.
It’s all too hard. You get an idea, but by the time you’ve written ten pages, it’s gone. Your plot is silly; your characters are even sillier.
Here’s the thing. Although professionals tell you to write anyway, they rarely tell you that they’ve learned tricks to grab inspiration by the neck and make it work for them.
Write fiction even if your inspiration vanishes
Triggering creativity is simple when you know how. Here’s a BIG tip: your creativity is yours, what works for others may not work for you, so experiment.
Here’s what I tell my writing students: no word you write is ever wasted. You may hate your writing so much that you can’t stand to reread it, BUT tomorrow (as Gone With the Wind’s Scarlett pointed out) is another day. All that matters is that you put words on the page today.
Let’s look at some weird tricks to boost your inspiration.
1. Relax; clear your mind of static
You can’t be creative if you’re tense. Relax physically.
Although you can find many exercises online to help you to relax, here’s a simple way. Sit on a chair in front of your computer (over time, you’ll associate this action with relaxation) and close your eyes.
Bring your mind to each part of your body. Mentally suggest “relax” and feel the muscles become limp. Start with one of your feet, then work your way around your body, relaxing one body part at a time.
The first time you try this, it will take five minutes or so because you’re learning something new. By the fourth time you try it, you’ll do it in a couple of minutes.
Why this works to clear your mind: your body influences your mind, and vice versa. Clearing your mind of mental static gives your creativity a chance to arise.
2. Imagine (after you’ve relaxed)
Once you’re physically relaxed, imagine.
Start with a scene you’re writing, or simply sit and wait for an image or a feeling to appear. It will… But don’t try to force it, just relax.
Regarding imagining your current project: avoid it if you’re too invested in it. If you feel yourself stressing, skip it. Once you’ve used this relax/ imagine technique a few times, you won’t tense up.
Close your eyes, and be patient. Smile mentally, take a deep breath, relax and allow yourself to simply be.
If you wish, you can set a timer for five or ten minutes, or simply wait until you know you’re ready to write.
Now let’s look at journaling.
3. Journaling is powerful: create a brain dump first thing in the morning
Journaling is more than a trick. Think of it as the Swiss army knife of writing. Your journals turn into a goldmine of inspiration once you’ve journaled for a while.
We’ve discussed priming the pump. Any form of journaling, the first thing in the morning, primes your writing pump for the rest of the day. I don’t know why this is so, it just is.
As Louis L’Amour said:
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
I like to create brain dumps. When I journal my daily brain dump as soon as I sit down at my desk in the morning, my writing is easier that day. If I say to myself: Later, I’ll read email first… I’ve ensured that my writing is slow, uncomfortable, and my word count for the day is low.
A common question about journaling
One of the most common questions I get about journaling is: how often do I need to journal?
I journal daily when I wake up, after I’ve fed the dog, and made coffee etc. During the day, I create cluster diagrams and write questions in my journal.
4. Eliminate stress with “So what?” (stop caring)
Stress is the enemy of creativity.
A student called me to report that she’d found an agent for her novel. Not only was she gleeful, she reported that her writing flowed. “I’ll finish the novel next month,” she said.
A few weeks later, she called again. She was frantic: “I don’t know why, but I’m blocked. Help!”
She was stressed because as thrilled and excited she was about the agent, it was also a source of stress. I suggested that she go back to basics: relax physically to clear her mind, and keep her mind on today’s writing only.
Unfortunately, you can care too much about a project. When you pressure yourself, you’re stressed; you choke off your creativity. I advised her to tell herself, “So what?” whenever she thought about her project.
Do today’s writing today; you can’t control the world, but you can write. Let go and let God.
5. Brainstorm a list of titles: remember, “who wants what?”
Dean Koontz begins a new novel by listing titles.
This trick ignites your inspiration.
Without thinking about it, list some titles for your current project. Use a timer; set it for three minutes. Generate as many as you can.
Remember your characters’ goals when you generate your titles. Make a list of your characters, minor characters as well as your leads, with something each character wants desperately. Try to make the something physical, a vintage Leica camera, not “world peace”.
Knowing each character’s BIG goal is vital. Check out 9 Brilliant Lessons from David Mamet’s Writing Staff Memo. Drama is everything in fiction, and drama starts with who wants what:
Mamet gives perhaps the best definition of drama — and conflict — as far as what it is, how it affects the characters, and how the audience is affected by it as well.
Always know who wants what. Once you know, plotting is easier and inspiration is guaranteed.
6. Remember that you need a powerful antagonist
Suspense develops when you make everything worse for your hero:
When you’re creating a fictional character, focus on your bad guy. He needs to be truly mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Then make your protagonist someone who has no chance against this overwhelming enemy.
Make your antagonist bad, then make him worse. And worse. Not only does he torture puppies, he’s killed someone. He’s plotting murder again.
My fiction changed for the better once I focused on the antagonist. In my early novels, I was too nice.
Here’s the BIG reason to make your antagonist as horrible as you can manage: it’s inspiring. Paradoxically, the tougher you are on your characters, the more deeply you (and your readers) care.
Onward. Keep this toolbox of inspirational tricks handy. Have fun. 🤗
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