Writer's (Un)Block??

In 8th grade, my English teacher gave me a journal and told me to write what I was feeling. The journal had all kinds of intricate designs on the cover, as well as green and pink floral accents. I remember feeling amused at the fact of writing down my thoughts. What was I? A second grader? Was I to title every journal entry with "Dear Diary?"

Fast forward to two years later. Instead of ridiculing writing, now, I am struggling to continue writing. Often times, I have come across the dilemma of finding inspiration or topics to write about. Undoubtedly, every writer has this issue. However, you can find inspiration anywhere.

The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop
is a book that contains a collection
of interviews, poems, prompts, and tips
for poets - all of which I will be referencing
throughout this blog.

Diane Lockward, author of The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, resorts to the three R's when looking for inspiration. "Identify your best resources of inspiration. Return to them when needed. For me, it's the Three R's: Reading, Regarding, and Remembering" (Lockward 7) When reading a poem, Lockward gives the following advice: "Is there an image that grabs you? If so, try to imitate it in a new poem. Is there some unusual sentence structure that you might try at hand" (Lockward 7)? When regarding, Lockward offers the advice of keeping a notebook with you at all times. One can observe and take notes while out and about. The final 'R' that Lockward states is remembering. "Make a list of important events from a particular year. Try freewriting about this" (Lockward 8). Obviously, Lockward has given writers a well-suited foundation of inspiration. However, there are many more ways writers can find inspiration. Another idea taken from the book is to use another poet as a muse. "... Trying on another poet's voice, seems worthwhile to me - a kind of cross-training and a way to experiment without being too self conscious about it" (Lockward 14). Taking on another writer's voice can not only let you try new techniques and styles, but also, allow you to put yourself in different scenarios.

The main points that Lockward gives in the novel in regards to finding inspiration is:

1) Reading pieces of writing and looking for things that stick out to you as important.

2) Carrying a pencil and notebook everywhere in case inspiration strikes you.

3) Making a list of important things and freewriting about this. [Or maybe just freewriting in journal could spark some inspiration]

4) Using someone else's writing as a muse.

Using Lockward's advice, I have started carrying around a journal with me to write down notes and any ideas that I may come across while going about my day. However, I have also discovered several other sources of inspiration that could be useful to other writers.

Here's an extremely blurry picture of my journal with several
pictures printed and pasted along with some writing. [Excuse
the blurriness - my hands don't stop shaking. Ever] Oh, here's
a good topic to write about - Write about why your hands shake
or what will happen if they don't stop shaking. [This could be
seen as a bland topic, but it could be quite interesting, as well.]

1) Music. Music can be an incredibly useful tool when looking for inspiration. You could write something based off of song lyrics. Find a song that you enjoy - whether or not it is the melody or the lyrics. Write something inspired off of that.

2) Changing your environment. Often times, a change in your environment can start the flow of creativity. Going to an art museum or heading to the beach can not only give you inspiration, but give your writing a different tone due to the change of atmosphere. Drawing from personal experience, during the summer, I would head out of the house at night [maybe 2-3AM when it was dark and silent in the neighborhood] and I would go and sit in the park with just a notebook and a pen. Was it scary? Yes. Could I have been kidnapped? Yes again. Did I accidentally trip and fall while stumbling around in the dark? Yes. However, just the mere adventure of going to the park at night gave me something to write about. Changing your environment to find inspiration is extremely helpful when looking for something to write about.

3)  Pictures. The famous phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words" is quite relevant in this case. Pictures can be an incredible source of inspiration for a writer. One can describe how they feel about the picture, describe what they think is going on, and much more. I have started putting photos throughout my journal so that if I am lacking inspiration, I can go to a photo and start rambling. Often times, this can spark up some topic that one can write about.

4) Quotes. Like pictures, Quotes can be used to aid a writer when looking for inspiration. One can take a famous quote and expand on the idea or concept or add their own idea/opinion.

As a writer, looking for inspiration can be difficult. However, one can write about anything.

I challenge you to take this topic and write about it [it'd be cool if you could post your response to the topic in the comments too] :

The bible was written by the same people who said the Earth was flat.
[disclaimer: this topic is not meant to offend any people with religious beliefs. it is merely a conversation starter (: ]

What do you think of this phrase? Why do you think that?

Citation: Lockward, Diane. The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Nicholasville, KY: Wind Publications, 2013. Print.