Help for Inspiration?

[Graham Cracked]

Most of the time I've been off of this site for has been dedicated to finding a summer job. As of today, I've yet to have any luck with it. I'm taking the next week or so off from the search to get back into the swing of writing/drawing again, however all of my creative energy has essentially been sapped. I feel horrible for it...it's worse than an actual block or laziness. I've tried what I usually do, which is listen to music and just draw random doodles, but those don't seem to help out too much. Anyone have any ideas? What do you tend to do to get back in the creative mood? I'll take any suggestions, anything would be amazingly helpful right now ^^

[EmeraldThread]

I have this problem all the time, too. When I do a lot of other things - like working or hanging out with people, even - I find that my mind just won't work the way I want it to when it comes to writing and creativity in general. I try a few different things when that happens, though not all of them work every time:

1) Let it work itself out. Since you're asking for help with inspiration, I don't know if this is something you want or have time to try, but I find when I have a consistent block that I keep trying to bypass, it doesn't help when I just keep writing anyway. I take some time to do other things I like or just to think about stuff and basically daydream stories. But if this isn't really an option for you, it's just something I'm tossing out to get it out of the way. xD

2) Try different types of writing than what you would normally do. I recently found this helped me. Ordinarily, I'd write short, emotional, and very descriptive and specific prose. But last week I wrote something very ambiguous that leaves a lot up to the reader's imagination. It turned out fantastic. So if you think it would help, you could try writing a style or genre you're not as familiar with.

3) Fanfiction? I don't know if that's what you're already trying to write, but I find that when I can't write original things, it's easier for me to work with something already existing and just make stories from that. I don't feel as much pressure from myself to make them good (unless I'm eventually showing them to people) because it's not really my own creation.

4) Do something different. Break your daily routine. For me, I spend a lot of time inside because of where I work. This conflicts with my personality, since I really enjoy the outdoors a lot more. So when I want to write something, I sometimes take a walk through the woods or just spend time outside where people won't bother me. Or if I crave company, I go somewhere by myself or with friends. So if you can think of something that would make you happy, even a small simple thing, you could try doing that and see if it helps.

Sorry I didn't include much in the way of drawing here, but I think all of these could all apply to that as well. If I think of anything else that might be useful, I'll let you know. I hope these help, and good luck finding your inspiration~

[Sneesee]

I think ElementsofGray has all the right ideas. And just so that you know, you are not alone. I, too have been having trouble sitting down to write this summer. I always tell myself I'm going to get more writing done, and it just hasn't happened yet. Hugs, and I hope you find your inspiration soon!

[Jorm]

I've always found going for a walk and just letting my mind wander aimlessly around story ideas to be surprisingly effective. Bring a notebook with you!

[tk2927]

I totally agree with getting out of the house and into some different surroundings

Also, a few other thoughts:

1) Have you tried tapping into the energy of your exhaustion? I know that may sound kind of stupid at first glance, but if I'm ever feeling that way and I start pulling a loose thread to explore it, I'm probably feeling frustrated,angry, listless, and a whole host of other darker feelings that combine themselves to create feeling totally depleted. It sounds awful about your experience, but it could help you tap into an awesome source of power!

2) I'm a creative type myself, and when it comes to writing (music in my case), I have come to the realization that if I always wait for completely authentic inspiration to hit me before I write something, I'm going to be waiting a long f-ing time. Sometimes I just have to get started even if it seems contrived. The momentum of starting can be really helpful in finding your way back to your center of creativity.

3) Record or write down any good idea you have, even if it's only one sentence. I recently finished writing a song that came from a simple riff I made up about 3 years ago. If I hadn't recorded myself playing it into my crappy phone recorder, The song wouldn't exist.

For me, just starting sometimes can be a huge pain. I once heard Jerry Seinfeld say, though, that he gets up every morning and writes for 2 hours and he just accepts that "if you're good, 90% of what you write will be crap and the other 10% is good." He's famous and successful, so it doesn't make me feel as bad that not every idea I write is a complete gem.

[March Hare]

Read On Writing by Stephen King. Also re-read all your favourite books. They'll make you want to try and do even better than what you keep finding between their covers. That way, even if it doesn't work (at once), at least you'll have had a fantastic time!