Real Words

Are you feeling uninspired as a writer right now? Do you need to do something to jumpstart that free-flowing spill of words onto the page?

Here’s a list of fifteen different tasks that you could do immediately to inspire your writing today:

1. Grab a headline from the news. Go to your favorite news site, pick a headline and start writing about whatever it makes you think about.
2. Go for a short walk. Walking gets our bodies moving and also makes our brains start working better. Many great pieces of writing began as thoughts on a walk.
3. Read a poem or short story. Reading a piece of writing that we wish we’d written ourselves is a great way to get inspired to do more writing.
4. Send an email to a friend about what you are working on. We often present our projects in a flattering light to others which can inspire us to actually work on them some more.
5. Grab your camera. Spend twenty minutes shooting digital photos of whatever things around you are interesting right now. Even the dishes in the sink can look interesting in the right light. This non-writing burst of creativity can inspire your writing.
6. Take a shower. If you haven’t showered yet today, go do that. The shower is a great place for developing random thoughts.
7. Write some affirmations. Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves that it’s okay if what we write today isn’t perfect. Sit down and write ten times, “what I write today is enough” or “I am filled with creative potential” or any of the other mantras for writers that exist.
8. Write a blog post. If you’re a blogger then you may want to add a short fun post to your blog today. Make it stream-of-consciousness, different from what you usually write and just fun. You should get some interesting responses that may inspire you.
9. Color. Get out a box of crayons or colored pencils and spend ten minutes just coloring a page. Then look at your page and write the first ten words that come to mind. What does it make you want to write next?
10. Do one task mindfully. Mindfulness is the focus of our full attention on the task at hand. Make your bed with a focus solely on the feel of the sheets and the smell of the room. This clears the mind of all of its clutter which means that you’ll be able to write better today.
11. Write a letter. Handwritten letters are some of the most creative things that people write but we rarely do it anymore.
12. Listen to music that you love. A little bit of music goes a long way towards making your creative juices flow.
13. Ask for inspiration on forums or social networking sites. Just post to your Facebook that you’re seeking suggestions on what to write about today. People will respond and you may find yourself inspired.
14. Make a date with yourself for later this week. It’s important to take time to go on dates with ourselves that are all about being fun and silly. You might not be able to take one today but you can set a date to do that and it may make you feel better.
15. Brainstorm a list of things that you could do today to feel more inspired. What else could you do right now to inspire your writing?