Have you ever suffered that dreadful hour, day, or even month in which you could find absolutely no inspiration? Those moments in which your mind had become devoid of any idea that could possibly spur your hand to drag across that sheet of paper, or your fingers to type across the keyboard?
I'm sure most of us, as writers, have felt and experienced such a horrible thing - and most of us call it "writer's block". I have come to think of it as the wolf that wanders around and devours all plot bunnies until not even one remains.
However, there are a few things that you can do to try and "reboot" the creative system.
- Listening to music : if you're ever in need of inspiration take a look at some lyrics of your favourite songs.
- Reading : flip through some pages of a worn book that you haven't read for a year and look at some of the plot-points, the opening line and sometimes even the ending.
- Watching television : this one sounds a little like procrastinating but it's not, I assure you. Watch a few television shows like National Geographic or History Chanel, you'll be sure to find something that sparks an idea.
- Movie synopsis : have you ever tried going online to a movie theater website and checking out the movie synopsis? Sometimes those give great inspiration, or even just looking up old-time movies and seeing if you can put a twist on classics.
- Roleplaying : not very many people have tried this, but I promise you that it can help sometimes. You can look up sites next to anywhere and find one where you can roleplay, ask a friend to play a little and make it up as you go along. It's a great writing exercise as well.
