As a writer, one lives on inspiration and creativity. Whether you are a poet, a novelist, a freelance journalist or any other type of writer, you need and live off inspiration. Writer's block is often that moment when the inspiration suddenly vanishes as quickly as it came; and the harder your search for writing inspiration, the harder it becomes to find it.
One thing you can always do when looking for inspiration is to go to a coffee shop and just sit, watch and listen. With coffee in hand and a notepad at the ready, you will soon see sights and hear conversations that can be turned into writing. One trick with the taking of notes is not to endlessly scribble down everything you hear. Write down a key word that you hear and then draw a branch off from this word and write another keyword when it crops up. Continue like this and you can develop a quick mind map of sights, sounds and conversations. Another trick when seeking inspiration for your writing is to visit a museum or art gallery and just soak up the atmosphere; again, you can make quick mind map style notes as thoughts and feelings come to you.
Every writer should have a writer's journal, which should be used to jot down thoughts, feelings and inspiration. Even if these ideas are not used immediately, over time they will become a valuable resource for writing inspiration. These thoughts and feelings are fleeting and unless you write them down, they may be lost forever. Keep your diary with you at all times and jot down impressions of new places, snippets of overheard conversations and so on. You can even include a few line drawings to bring back the atmosphere of your day.
If you have ever meditated or done something like tai Chi or Chi Qong, then you will know the peace and the calm that these activities bring. These moments of calm can be fantastically inspirational for a writer, for you are not looking for inspiration; you are just trying to empty your mind. It is in these moments of letting go that true inspiration can flood in; just make sure you have pen and paper or a Dictaphone at the ready!
As with writer's block, seeking inspiration for your writing can be a challenge if you try to force the inspiration to show up. In these cases, just stopping a doing something completely different can work wonders. Remember, just like everyone else, a writer really can have a day off.
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