7 Ways You Can Find Inspiration When Writing Block Strikes

When you want to write, inspiration often hits fast and hard. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to maintain that passion and ingenuity all the way through to finish your manuscript. But what happens if you can’t? Or say you’ve completed your first book and are fortunate enough to see it in print, but your publisher or fans are looking for something new from you.

But again, what do you do if there are no new ideas? Finding inspiration can be a struggle when writer’s block strikes. But to thrive professionally, you’ll need to find a way to break through and get your ideas out onto the page once more. So to help out, I want to share some ways I explore my thoughts whenever I get stuck.

Shake Things Up

One of the easiest ways to try and loosen your creativity is to change your scenery. Go for a walk, plop yourself on a bench in the park, and see what happens. Maybe head to a coffee shop, nurse a cuppa, and muse.

Or you could try your local library and find out what happens when you surround yourself with literary inspiration.

Sometimes sitting at your writing desk, waiting for anything to happen, won’t yield results, and you need to go out and find them.

Look to Your Books

Who are the authors that inspired you in the first place? They’re likely on your shelf or in your e-reader. Step away from your own writing for a while to revisit the pages that sparked your creativity.

I like to get into some of my favorite books now and again to light the fire inside me. There’s something about reading a fantastic novel that gets you going!

Alternatively, you can pull ideas from old or new reads to generate a story of your own. I’ve spoken about how you can expand upon another author’s idea and make it your own. Maybe there’s a particular character you like, but you’re curious what could happen if you tossed someone like them in a different situation?

What if an author built this incredible setting but barely used it, and you would like to explore a world like it even further? You may even see an inspiring tale about a local citizen doing good in the newspaper that you want to base a new novel around.

You never know where you’ll find a new idea, so don’t be afraid to take a break from your work and explore someone else’s for a bit.

Watch People and See Characters

Pay attention to the faces in the crowd on your sojourns out of the house. People are so interesting, which is why so many of us are drawn to gossip or learning about the lives of others.

When you start seeing genuine interactions without necessarily eavesdropping on people’s private conversations (please don’t do that), you can extrapolate an idea of what’s going on.

From this headcanon, you can develop a new character or story hook. Additionally, when you watch people, you can be truly attentive to their actions. You can use that in your writing to make it more descriptive and build more believable characters.

When people think of authors, they assume they’ve shuttered away in a dusty study, surrounded by books and crumpled pieces of paper, but there’s so much to learn and discover for our stories by exploring beyond the confines of our writing space.

Build Accountability with Others

Dovetailing from the idea that writing need not be an isolating task, you could join a writing group. It is a great way to stay on task by creating some accountability. You have a reason to show up and share. And that doesn’t mean a complete book.

It can be a compelling character, a well-written scene, a new thought you want to feel out with the group – anything. And by sharing with others and hearing their views, you’ll find your way to inspiration more often than not. With fresh eyes come new takes on ideas you’re struggling with, leading to potential breakthroughs.

That’s why I invite students of my course into a Facebook writer’s group, so they have others who share their journey and feel accountable to, supporting them along the way.

So check out Facebook, Reddit, or a site like writershelpingwriters.net to find a community that fits you.

Let Someone Else Prompt You

In my blog and on social media, I’ve written about some of the great tools we have available to us as writers in this wonderful internet age. It makes generating ideas so much easier when all we need to do is cue up a website.

Writing prompts are a brilliant way to get your creative juices flowing, and many online options exist. Sometimes all you need is someone else to toss an idea your way. You’ll get a spark and then take it from there. To name a few, check out sites like:

• reedsyprompts
• Scholastic Story Starters
• The Story Shack
• Or follow me on social media, where I create lots of fun writing prompts you can use!

The Tried and True

A classic go-to for any author is the act of freewriting. You put your pen to page (or fingers to keyboard) and let your thoughts flow. The remnants of a dream could come up, your ideas on climate change, or some distant memory of that one birthday your mom baked the best cake ever.

It’s like a sort of journaling, except instead of using this as an exercise to reflect, you’re looking for ideas that will inspire intriguing characters, wondrous settings, or an exciting story arc.

The goal is to just let it happen and not worry about results. You could find something, and you could find nothing – don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Explore Other Media

Sometimes to get out of your head, you need to get away from the craft altogether. Take the time to switch gears and watch a film or TV, or play a video game to see what elements inspire you there (applying the same principle above about reading).

You can visit a local art gallery and take in some of the fine works, seeing imagination breathing through a different medium. Their visuals could take you on a journey into your next story.

Similarly, many people turn to music to let their thoughts wander, getting inspired by the mental image it creates or the lyrics of a song. However you go about it, cut yourself some slack, and take a break from the pages for a bit.

Hopefully, one or two of these suggestions feel right for you. What works for me may not be the solution you need, but if you can find a way to let your mind wander and then capture those thoughts, you’re on the right track.

I will get more into how you can find your next great idea in my masterclass and course, should you want some more help from me. Plus, as I mentioned, folks who do take my course have access to a growing community of fellow authors in my private Facebook group.

If you have any other questions or want to suggest your own ideas for overcoming writer’s block, I’d love to hear them! Please reach out to me at jsims@jairesims.com or find me on social media.