# What does everyone do to inspire/help them to write?



## eoj89 (Aug 6, 2013)

As it says in the title. :glee:

Thanks for any replies.


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## OurJud (Aug 6, 2013)

Read.


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## Myers (Aug 6, 2013)

Other than read, I don't really do anything. I'm simply inspired by the desire to to write, with the aim of entertaining and moving whoever happens to read my work. That's pretty much it.


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## eoj89 (Aug 6, 2013)

OurJud said:


> Read.



When I read to inspire myself, I find myself remembering too much information and then stealing the work unconsciously whilst I'm writing. :O



Myers said:


> Other than read, I don't really do anything. I'm simply inspired by the desire to to write, with the aim of entertaining and moving whoever happens to read my work. That's pretty much it.



Ooooh! How do you go about getting people to recognise your work, if you know what I mean?


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## gmehl (Aug 6, 2013)

Instead of just thinking "what if" I sit down and play with it in words


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## eoj89 (Aug 6, 2013)

gmehl said:


> Instead of just thinking "what if" I sit down and play with it in words



So instead of not putting it in because you're scared, you just throw it in and make it fit however you can? If I'm right, then that's amazing!


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## escorial (Aug 6, 2013)

emotions for me..most things I write have a direct theme of myself or in a distant way connected.


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## JEvershen (Aug 6, 2013)

I suppose I'm lucky in I've neevr had to think about it, I write because it pleases me to get everything out. I have so many pieces of papers throughout my home that have notes and ideas on them, my biggest problem can be making sense of these notes. I write because I have to!!!


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## Sintalion (Aug 6, 2013)

Not gonna lie, I get inspired in the shower all the time. All I do (besides get clean) is think. Random story thoughts just float through, usually connected to whatever I'm subject I'm mentally discussing. 

Mostly though, just going about my business is inspiring. Sometimes all it takes is an egg cartoon at a farmer's market or a chubby pug at a dog park. A cold, quiet sunset sometimes makes me think about my protagonist in Norway.


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## PiP (Aug 6, 2013)

If we could bottle inspiration as a magic potion we would make a fortune  Imagine the equivalent to the Elixir of life...

I am inspired by simple things such as observing the intricacies of nature, "people watching" at airports and local bars/cafés. 

Eavesdropping on random conversations can also be a good source of inspiration. What they say, how they speak and look, and the story they are telling. I've gotten many an interesting idea for characters and storylines from simply eavesdropping 

PiP


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## gmehl (Aug 6, 2013)

eoj89 said:


> So instead of not putting it in because you're scared, you just throw it in and make it fit however you can? If I'm right, then that's amazing!



Not sure what one should be scared of; an idea is just an idea, words are just words, nothing sacred or frightening.  What if a guy snuck into the produce department of a grocery store to steal a rutabaga?  Right away, all sorts of questions spring to mind.  You could play it out in your mind as an amusement, or you could write it as an amusement.  It's not so much "fit it in" as take a concept and stretch it out; I don't feel it's especially amazing.   

Now, if you're in the middle of something and you're bored, stalled, weary, anything negative, then you have two options: walk away, no harm done, or dig in, find a solution, continue on (probably feeling better because you overcame your own anxiety).  I guess the point is that if you want to write, you write; if you don't want to write, then why suffer through an unhappy chore?


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## philistine (Aug 6, 2013)

1. Read
2. Write


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## J Anfinson (Aug 6, 2013)

I daydream. If the idea turns into an obsession, I'll write a story about it.


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## eoj89 (Aug 6, 2013)

pigletinportugal said:


> If we could bottle inspiration as a magic potion we would make a fortune  Imagine the equivalent to the Elixir of life...
> 
> I am inspired by simple things such as observing the intricacies of nature, "people watching" at airports and local bars/cafés.
> 
> ...



I'm gonna have to start frequenting cafes more, aren't I? I haven't been people watching or eavesdropping on strangers for a while.  I'm taking in all of these, just wanted to see what people did to encourage themselves. :thumbl:

- - - Updated - - -



J Anfinson said:


> I daydream. If the idea turns into an obsession, I'll write a story about it.



I do this!


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## eoj89 (Aug 6, 2013)

gmehl said:


> Not sure what one should be scared of; an idea is just an idea, words are just words, nothing sacred or frightening.  What if a guy snuck into the produce department of a grocery store to steal a rutabaga?  Right away, all sorts of questions spring to mind.  You could play it out in your mind as an amusement, or you could write it as an amusement.  It's not so much "fit it in" as take a concept and stretch it out; I don't feel it's especially amazing.
> 
> Now, if you're in the middle of something and you're bored, stalled, weary, anything negative, then you have two options: walk away, no harm done, or dig in, find a solution, continue on (probably feeling better because you overcame your own anxiety).  I guess the point is that if you want to write, you write; if you don't want to write, then why suffer through an unhappy chore?



I'm not one for leaving my stories unfinished. Even if I don't particularly like the story I'm writing anymore, by the time I've finished the chapter, I like the story and I'm inspired again.


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## Terry D (Aug 6, 2013)

philistine said:


> 1. Read
> 2. Write



My only addition would be...

1. Read
2. ​Write


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## Jeko (Aug 7, 2013)

Read, write, and avoid TV.



> When I read to inspire myself, I find myself remembering too much information and then stealing the work unconsciously whilst I'm writing. :O



That's alright. The best beginners learn by copying their masters.


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## Skodt (Aug 7, 2013)

I throw cheeto chips at passing walkers until they turn yelling. Then I capture their emotion in a bottle with magic; then I travel home on my flying carpet and throw the bottle at my computer. It's quite hard work.


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## Nickleby (Aug 7, 2013)

All I need is a pot of coffee.


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## Skodt (Aug 7, 2013)

A full pot? after a full pot I will be so wired my brain would be buzzing.


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## Shadoe (Aug 7, 2013)

Usually, I just start writing. Once I get going, I remember his much I like it.


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## bookmasta (Aug 7, 2013)

Read books similar to the genre I'm writing.


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## Motley (Aug 7, 2013)

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” Jack London


Just sit down and write. And keep writing till something clicks and the process becomes a flood or until your fingers hurt.


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## Greimour (Aug 7, 2013)

Movies, Reading, Peoples lives, life in general...

I often write down random thoughts or dreams in a black book I got... when I am bored or other reasons, i will read the black book and see whats there and often get inspired onto a new idea - sometimes I don't finish anything I just write randomly, but I save it and one day read it again and see how it could be developed, improved and revised and continue it...

inspiration comes from life.


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## Tirade (Aug 7, 2013)

I tend to try to get a feel for characters and worlds. Sometimes this means simple plotting out, describing the world and characters. Often times no more than a tenth of what I plan actually makes it into what I write. But having them fleshed out like that makes it easier to figure out how things work when I actually start planning the story.

Another thing I've been experimenting with is actually working out the plot on paper, making sure things line up before I start writing. It's helped me a bit. I find that I can't yet plot the story chapter by chapter, since certain things end up taking more or less space on the page than I expected once I start writing. But having an outline to work from can help from accidentally writing yourself into a corner or running into writer's block. I don't do anything too fancy, just a bulleted list in Word.


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## midnightpoet (Aug 7, 2013)

everyone has their own way of getting ideas.  I got the plot for my first novel riding the bus to work.  After that, i was self-motivated to finish.


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## Skodt (Aug 7, 2013)

I wish I knew where I got ideas. I would go there and frolic. Dance with the ideas and soothe them. Then I would hold them hostage. Letting them free one at a time on my leisure. You know now that I think about that it's not a wonder why idea's are so elusive. :concern:


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## InkwellMachine (Aug 7, 2013)

I think one of the most dangerous stumbling stones for writers is recognition. I know a lot of people who create art expecting to show it to other people and see their reactions, but pages upon pages of prose is more daunting for someone else to look at than, say, a painting. It requires a greater investment of time your audience's time than a lot of other forms of media. Thus, the audience generally needs more convincing that your work is worth reading, so until you have advertisements and awards and favorable reviews to back you up, your work'll probably be feeling pretty lonesome.

This ties into motivating yourself because the response of others is _not_ a healthy motivator. You can't rely on other people to be willing to read your work before they have any assurance that it'll be worth their time. So, you need to look elsewhere.

My advice would be to give regular and consistent thought to your story. Whenever you've made some progress developing the idea, ask yourself whether it would be worth reading--if you would spend time reading it. If the answer is no, revise the idea until the answer is yes.

Once you feel your story is worth reading, your motivation should be clear: you're writing a story you want to read because it is the only way you'll ever be able to read it.


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## Lyra Laurant (Aug 7, 2013)

My ideas for new stories usually begin with the thought "I would love to write about a character who is very _____ and desperately needs to _____".

Music is what inspires me the most. And what helps me to write when I'm not sure what should happen next is watching my scene in a movie in my head and see what my characters do.


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## popsprocket (Aug 7, 2013)

I like to write down every over the top, melodramatic, absolutely bombastic bit of dialogue that comes to mind. Every book has place for at least one line where a character shouts something like:

"I'm going to burn the world!" 

and means it.

To keep myself inspired while writing I find I have to change things. Not necessarily large things, or changes to things that are already on paper, but my boredom with my stories tends to stem from not realising that I'm sticking too hard to my idea and not letting it happen as it wants to. If I change something the story clicks back into place and I love it again.


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## squidtender (Aug 7, 2013)

I really can't think of anything that inspires my writing :scratch:

I read because I love to and I write because . . . well, because I'm a writer. It's the only thing that makes me feel like me


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## Quill Pen (Aug 8, 2013)

Ideas for stories generally come to me seemingly at random, but they develop in short flashes while I'm walking or just thinking. When it comes to actually writing, I've been working on a playlist to help me write a story I'm developing - not necessarily to inspire me to write it, but to impress a certain tone onto it, from the music.


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## tabasco5 (Aug 8, 2013)

The best inspiration I have found to write is avoiding the disappointment I feel with myself when I don't.  That and the need to be creative.


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## bookmasta (Aug 8, 2013)

Rain dances and blood sacrifices to the writing gods.


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## 1st Spear (Aug 8, 2013)

I enjoy storytelling in general sense (from the point of view of DMing a D&D game). But a good in-depth story needs a bit of background and the reasons/motivations of each character. I write because i enjoy the perfection of the end result.


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## Tirade (Aug 8, 2013)

bookmasta said:


> Rain dances and blood sacrifices to the writing gods.



*facepalm* I was supposed to be sacrificing to the WRITING gods? No wonder it wasn't working for me...


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## Topper88 (Aug 9, 2013)

I like watching videos of authors talking about the craft. Stephen King has a few great ones.


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## dale (Aug 9, 2013)

i drink enough merlot to drown 10 kids. then i set them free by typing.


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## ac?d (Aug 9, 2013)

When I'm having a bit of writer's block, I'll read a book that makes me say 'Goddamn, I wish I wrote that'. That, or I have myself a nice bowl and go for a walk. More oxygen to your brain, along with all the different sensory stimulation that you don't find hunched over a laptop (the trees swaying, children on their bikes, a domestic spat on your neighbor's lawn), usually will trigger at least a handful of pages worth of inspiration.

:champagne:


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## ac?d (Aug 9, 2013)

Topster's suggestion is also an excellent source of inspiration.


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## Skodt (Aug 9, 2013)

Topster said:


> I like watching videos of authors talking about the craft. Stephen King has a few great ones.


George RR Martin can put on a heck of an interview too if your looking to add to your viewing list.


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## MaeyMaeyCute (Aug 12, 2013)

I watch movies, anime, play video games, draw, read, sew, browse art and costumes on the internet, and watch plays and musicals.  I've found listening to music is extremely helpful so long as it fits with the genre of your story.  Obviously if someone was writing a whimsical romance book rap would probably not help get their creative juices flowing.  Try listening to music from different countries and different genres.  As a writer it's helpful to have a plentiful store of general knowledge.


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