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Time comes in the lives of the writers when nothing works.
No matter how hard they try, no word, no sentence, no image form in their heads.
They just sit blank, wondering will it ever be like the past again, will the
words come back.
I don’t know about you, but I suffer from this syndrome frequently.
I don’t have the habit of waiting for the inspiration. I know what happens when
someone waits for something to happen. I waited three years for inspiration and
did not write a single line. Now, I follow Jack London’s advice with all my
heart and chase inspiration. Yet, time comes when nothing works. I keep writing
without my heart in it. I derive no joy in creating. Have you ever felt like
this? If the answer is no, you are fortunate. You can skip reading this post.
Inspiring the writer within you is important at a time like
this. When wind doesn’t blow, you need to steer the boat yourself and move
forward. This is the only way you can get something done.
I have been writing for a long time. So long that now I
cannot recall the time I did not write. And in these long years of effort I
have learnt something valuable - that
inspiration does not come. It is up to you whether you give up or get going.
Once I gave up and I paid dearly. I had to start all over again. Thus I don’t
give up now. I try to inspire myself. It takes time to get back in the mood but
it does work.
It’s true that you will not be able to inspire yourself
without assistance. You will require tools to make yourself write again. For me
books have been of great help. Whenever I feel my creativity is taking a leave
of absence, I turn to the pages of books I love reading most. I read words
created by the masters. John Grisham is one of the writers I read to motivate
myself. This is the writer I have always considered as my mentor. His writing
has the power to make my fingers itch and my heart composed again. Rainmaker is
one of my personal favorites. You may choose to read someone else. But do read.
Nothing helps writing better than reading. No matter what you read, you get
better at writing.
Take a walk outside. Writing is a lonely task. Yet, you need
to get out of the comfort of your home. You need to interact with people. You
write about them, you need to study them. In my case, I am fortunate. My work demands
that I go out and communicate with others. This makes me write better. I feel
free when I return and hold my pen again. Next time when you interact with
others, don’t take them as mere human beings. Instead consider them as characters
of your novel and see what happens.
Do something unusual. Take a walk in the rain. Feel the
droplets pouring down upon you. Drenching you. Let the blessing from heaven wash
away the blockage and refresh your soul. Frequently I stand in the rain,
looking up, gazing at the sky and thanking the monarch of the heaven. I thank
Him for the words that I write. I thank Him for the images that will not let me
sit in peace. I thank Him for the books that are being written. I thank Him for
being there. Lastly, I thank Him for life. And when I return to writing, I feel
like another person. Try it.
Get drunk. Lol, getting controversial. Don’t drive in the
state. Allow the alcohol to sooth your senses. But hey, try not to make it a
habit. Once in a while indulge into this beverage and well…you will wake up yet
another person (sometimes with killer headache).
Write something different, something unconventional,
something that you haven’t tried before. Why not write an erotica? Explore and
see what you can come up with. Write about that date who did not call again. Take
this person to a land where only dead people walk the night. Write a long
letter to someone, you haven’t met. Why not write to your characters? Explain
why you put them through so much misery. Praise them and tell them why they are
unique.
Work out. Kick box, stretch, run and sweat it out. You will
be able to go past the blockage that is preventing you from writing. Umm…these
are not laws of writing that I have pronounced. There is no law in this
profession. You can invent your own law. The secret is to have fun and worry
less. Banging your head against the wall
will only make you bleed. Rather grow wings and try to fly away. Writing is
not a task that you have to perform. Writing is salvation. Surrender yourself
and take pleasure in the journey.
