Don’t Wait To Feel Inspired: Tips to Get You Writing When You Don’t Feel Like It
When it comes to writing, don’t wait to feel inspired.
If you wait to write only when you feel inspired, then you won’t finish. At best, it will take you much longer to write that paper, report, article, blog post or book you are trying to write.
Waiting to feel inspired is just not going to work, especially if you are, or want to be, a professional writer, or if writing is a large part of your livelihood and the way you make some income.
Here are some quotes and tips to get you writing again when you feel least inspired.
“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.”
~ Pearl S. Buck
Writing is hard work. Think of your writing as a job and you are the employee. You are accountable to your employer by the end of the day. The only difference here is that you are the employer and as such, you should expect your employee to do the work that you are paying them to do.
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
~ Stephen King
The answer sounds easy, just go ahead and put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard and write. But that’s easier said than done.
We all have those moments when we just sit and stare and wait for inspiration that doesn’t seem to come. Here are some common reasons that stop people from writing, and suggestions on how to overcome inertia and get the words flowing again.
You’re not sure what to write about.
“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five of six of them. Most people don’t see any.”
~ Orson Scott Card
If you are stuck on what to write about, think about why you wanted to write whatever you are writing about in the first place. Why are you writing this blog post, this article, this report, or this book? Write down why you are writing it as if you are telling someone about it. Just keep going. This exercise will generate more topics or plot idea as you follow through on this. As you continue with your written conversation with yourself, keep thinking of who you are writing for.
You know what you want to write about, but you’re just not sure how to keep going.
“Address the people you seek, and them only.”
~ Claude C. Hopkins
The solution to this problem goes back to remembering who you are writing for – your ideal reader. If you were your ideal reader, what would you want to know? And in what order do you want the story or the information to flow? Write for yourself as your ideal reader.
If the words still don’t flow, take a break. Go for a walk, exercise, or read a book. After 30 minutes, get back to work. Read over the last five pages you have written and be inspired by your own writing. You are jump starting from your own words.
If that still doesn’t work, start writing anything. Write. Tell your ideal readers what you just did. Tell them about what you just read, or something about the walk you took. You can even write about not feeling inspired to write.
A strange thing begins to happen as you share your thoughts with your readers in this exercise. You are giving your brain a chance to get back into the creating mode. The cobwebs clear and the inertia begins to fade. Your thoughts start flowing again and before long, you are back to writing.
You feel uncertain that you know enough compared to what others are doing. You are discouraged.
“The most important thing in writing is to have written. I can always fix a bad page. I can’t fix a blank one.”
~ Nora Roberts
Don’t fall for this fallacy, often referred to these days as “imposter syndrome.” Don’t compare yourself to others. Tell yourself, if they can do it, so can you. Believe that you are unique and so is your voice. No-one else can write the way that you write. Your voice, style, expertise and experience are uniquely yours.
You’re not sure that anyone is interested in the stories you want to tell, or the information you want to share.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
~Maya Angelou
This goes back to remembering who you are writing for – your ideal reader. Your ideal reader wants to hear from you, and that ideal reader could be one or could be thousands. It does not matter. Write for that one reader who wants to hear from you and give that reader your all. Imagine that one person who needs to hear from you and looks up to you to tell the story or impart the information that only you can provide.
All writers experience these feelings at one time or another. But the important thing is to just keep going. It is the only way to finish. I will end with these final quotes:
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
~ Louis L’Armour
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
~ Richard Bach
If you have enjoyed reading this post and found it helpful, you might be interested in reading my other articles, Not Sure What To Write About, Then You’ve Missed A Step and Why Writing By Hand First Can Help You Write Better.
Resources
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