Lack of Inspiration or Procrastination?
As a writer, I’m bedeviled quite often by what some might call “writers’ block” or to put it more gently, lack of inspiration. I’ve learned it isn’t really a block at all, but another in a long stream of excuses to procrastinate. In other words, it’s really only giving yourself permission to not show up.
We all have our own ways of breaking the pattern. Of course, the most important thing for a writer to do is write, right?
I’ve learned if I simply sit down with a pen and paper or put my fingers on the keyboard and start typing, inspiration will eventually strike. Typically, it only takes a paragraph or two of drivel to find the diamond in the rough.
Using Agitation to Inspire
Many things are ready to derail my process and reduce my level of content creation to zero. Just day-to-
day living can throw me enough curve balls , I’m too busy fielding them to write—or so I like to tell myself. The last month or two has given me more than my share.
But I can turn it around and realize those curve balls aren’t meant to be distractions. They’re meant to give me inspiration. Heaven knows I’ve written enough on areas outside my comfort zone in recent months, all because something set me off and sent me, not running away from the keyboard, but scurrying towards it to get my thoughts down before they slipped away. The chaos of my life right now is no different, even if events and crises are too close to home for comfort.
The most successful writers give one piece of advice across the board: write every single day.
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
When I’m in my deepest funks, I’ll beat myself up about failing to honor this one, simple rule. That’s when I conveniently forget how I get up every morning, and before I do anything else (even the cats have learned to wait for their breakfast) I sit down at my desk and write 3 pages longhand.
Sometimes, it’s drivel; the cats, the quiet, a dream I had, last night’s cocoa and marshmallows. It really doesn’t matter what I write, or whether it leads me to a blog post, an epiphany, or even the Great American Novel. The fact is, whether I give myself credit or not, I’m writing every day.
Sure, some days are better than others. The writing yields a great idea or three, or better still, inspires me to sit down and write a couple of blog posts, a chapter for one of my books, or a piece for a client I might have been putting off.
Optimizing Our Environment to Super-charge Inspiration
Ambiance is important too. One day I might need something mellow wafting from my computer’s
speakers; meditation music, Simon and Garfunkel radio, maybe even smooth jazz. Others, I need something more uplifting; the rambunctious horn sections of Blood, Sweat, and Tears, or Chicago, the soul pounding rhythms of Queen. Some days, I want silence where the only thing breaking it is the sound of my fingers flying across the keyboard, the hum of the computer, and an occasional car or siren in the distance. As I write this, the last is my music of choice.
Each writer must find what works for them, as we must recognize whether we’re a pantser or a plotter. I remember posting a comment on Jacqueline Carey’s page about how the characters often take on a mind of her own. Her response hit me almost like a physical blow. She said she never allows her characters to take over the story. Clearly, she’s a plotter.
One (Wo)Man’s Junk is Another’s Treasure
Maybe that’s why just sitting down and starting to type works so well for me. I delight in the wonder of what comes out of my head when I’m not trying to put a box around it. I love seeing a story unfold that, a few moments earlier didn’t exist at all in my consciousness. Surprise twists I didn’t see coming are one of the joys of writing for me. But clearly not for everyone.
For the plotters, I don’t really know how to break the blocks, except to sit down and write without trying to control or edit. Once the ideas start to form, I’m sure their minds can take over and mold the ideas into something they feel comfortable writing about. Still, writing begets writing. You can’t create ideas if you don’t sit down and let the ideas come to you in the first place.
Capturing Imagination
Writing, fiction, at least is all about imagination. As I see it, imagination isn’t something you control like 
math skills or computer programs. It’s whimsy. It’s joy. It’s our darkest fears and our brightest dreams. We have to let it run amok or it will wither away and die. It reminds me of a song from “Sound of Music” in which the main character, Maria is compared to the wind, a will o’ the wisp, and a cloud; all things you can’t control.
I see imagination in the same way. It’s there, then it’s not. A fairy playing hide and seek between blades of grass, winking out, then re-appearing somewhere behind you, alerting you to her presence with a tiny, high-pitched giggle. You can’t chase imagination, but you can follow where it leads. It isn’t meant to be caught. It’s meant to lead you to places you’ve yet to discover, people you’ve yet to meet, worlds you create and populate with characters from any era you choose, the more diverse, the better.
We Each Have a Unique Set of Talents
My daughter often marvels at how easy it is for me to throw a bunch of words on the page, and actually have them make sense. I marvel at her ability to create something beautiful out of a bunch of cloth, or thread, or beads. I’m in awe of her ability to visualize something already completed, and know exactly how she’ll get there. I never visualize anything I write completed. I have to take the first step and follow where it leads.
It does make me wonder how a plotter gets around writer’s block, or if they call it something else. Are they, like me, simply making excuses to not write, to not risk failing, to avoid having a piece they hate? Are they less able than me to put aside the inner critic and find joy in putting words on a page, no matter how rough, no matter how humble? How does a plotter get their motor running without burning up the creative engine in the process? I guess I’ll need to talk to a few to find out.
Breaking Out of the Inspiration Funk
How do you get out of a funk, or more to the point, kick procrastination to the curb? It happens to all of us, no matter what we do. There’s always something we’re avoiding starting; something we push to the bottom of our To-Do list, even though it’s pretty important.
Sometimes I make myself do the things I least want to do first so I can reward myself with one of the things I really want to do instead, even if it’s just a sappy Hallmark Christmas movie. What about you? How do you get past the tough spots?
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, 
but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.
