Inspiration is a word that not only relates to myself as a
writer but to other writers, artists, designers, chefs, gardeners and many
other professions. According to
dictionary.com the word Inspiration means to
inspire; the act of being inspired and a divine influence directly and immediately exerted
upon the mind or soul. Any writer can sit down and write at any time and produce a fairly good page of writing but to
be inspired by something is like the breath that gives life and the root word spir has to do with concepts of air and
breathing. Inspiration comes from the
Latin word spira which means; breath of life, breath, breathing, mind,
spirit and soul. In other words it’s
like the ingredient that gives life to your work whether it is writing, or
painting or a magnificent wedding dress.
Inspiration can be the one ingredient that makes something work and lack
of it is probably the reason a lot of writer’s get writer’s block. Writer’s block is like being in a rooml
with no door in it and you look up and the height seems insurmountable
sometimes and it is at times like these that one needs, Spira, the breath of life.
What do you do when you face
writers block? Firstly, I try to
encourage myself because you certainly won’t get anywhere by sitting there
feeling discouraged. I put down the pen
or take my fingers off the keyboard and take a break from writing. I start to
surround myself with things I love and enjoy doing. I surround myself with things that create spira and sometimes it doesn’t happen
straight away. One has to persevere.
I Make a coffee, watch some old movies,
go for a walk along the beach. I most often will do something creative like
paint or sew; make a dress or gown for someone and I find these things often
create enough inspiration for me to want to do more. There are lots of things I do to get past
writers block and find the inspiration I need to keep the writing flowing. I don’t know what the rest of you do, but
here is a list of a few things I do that helps me.
- · Walking along the beach at sunset
- · Walking through the park
- · A glass of wine by the fire at night
- · Read my favourite books
- · Watch old movies; especially ones in castles.
- · Study (That’s right; study. Study something of interest like maybe an important incident in history or a character of history or literature. I recently studied the history of wine making. Very interesting subject and why not do it the old way? Go to the library. Look at books and photos.
- · Talk to people. Sometimes conversing with others will just shine the light on something hidden. Someone might share or reveal something in their own life that just might be the idea you need for your writing. I say this because this has happened to me and what the person told me is the theme for my next novel.
So don’t lose heart when there
seems to be no way. Have faith, go for a walk and dream of the possibilities.
