If you meet someone interesting, ask them if you can sit down with them for an interview, then ask them about some of their most memorable experiences. This is a great technique if you need inspiration for a blog. Write down or record all of your ideas while you’re going about your day, then develop them into posts. That way, you’ll always have a stream of new content. If you prefer creative writing, let your imagination roam when you’re out in public. If you hear a little fragment of a conversation, try to imagine the back story. For instance, you might hear someone say something like, “Then, he had the nerve to ask for another slice of cake!” Create a scenario in your mind where this would be an outrageous request, then use it in a story.
If you normally write from home, you might work in another room of your house, visit a nearby coffee shop, or go outside and write. Even something as simple as changing your desktop background might help. This can be helpful if you have writer’s block while you’re working on a report for school or work, as well as for more personal forms of writing.
Writing about what you see helps put you in the present moment. It can also help you hone your attention to detail. Choose an object in the room, like a grandfather clock. Write about the appearance of the clock, who made it, and its history. Feel free to make the story as outrageous as you want. For instance, you might say that the original owner of the clock was a pirate, and he bought the clock when he finally retired from the high seas!
Visit places like a cafe, shopping mall, or outdoor park. Sometimes you can find inspiration for creative writing in even the most mundane tasks. As you’re watching people, try to think of imaginative back stories, like deciding a suburban mom is really a spy on a secret mission, or an average teenager buying coffee is really a member of a royal family who’s escaped to your town to enjoy a normal life for a while.
For example, if you overhear a couple fighting, you might write down a couple of lines to use in your own story. If you write about current events and you hear someone passionately ranting about politics, jot down some of their lines to revisit later. You could write a post either agreeing or disagreeing with their point of view, for instance. Keep in mind, if you’re obviously listening in on someone else’s conversation or argument, it could seem creepy. Try to be subtle—don’t stare or lean in closer so you can hear better. Also, if the people around you start to seem uncomfortable, it’s probably a good idea to take the notes you have and move to another location. Remember, it’s about finding inspiration, not copying their conversation word-for-word.
Choose something like “freedom,” and write everything that reminds you of freedom, such as birds, flying, or open sky. If you’re writing a report, do word association with the topic you want to write about. This can help you narrow down the focus of your paper before you even start researching. For instance, if you’re assigned to write about Abraham Lincoln, you might write words like “top hat,” “penny,” “Lincoln memorial,” “assassination,” “John Wilkes Booth,” “Gettysburg Address,” “Emancipation Proclamation,” and “Lincoln-Douglas debates. ” Then, you might choose the area you’re most interested in as your topic.
Write a narrative or free associations. You can write for a certain amount of time or until you fill up a certain number of pages. This is your choice. For example, you might choose to write about tigers. Write everything that comes to mind about tigers, such as when you saw them at the zoo when you were 5, or what it would be like to be a tiger in the jungle. You could use this for a blog post on tigers, or simply to get ideas for your new novel.
Use headphones for an intimate listening experience, or turn up the volume on your home speakers.
Feel free to set your timer for shorter or longer time increments. Use these prompts to write a poem, short story, article—whatever inspires you. Writing prompt ideas include “The best day of my life was…” or “Write about the color black. ”
For a fictional story, for instance, you might imagine spending the day with your favorite sports hero, then turn that into a story. If you want to write a blog post, expand upon your favorite recipe. Describe the ingredients you use, give specific instructions, including the cooking time and temperature, and tell the readers why you like the dish. For a nonfiction piece, write a biographical account of a backpacking trip you took, or talk about the history of a painting you really love.
For instance, you might write about a time when you were feeling blue, then out of nowhere, one of your friends did something really nice for you. You could also write about something upsetting, like a time you didn’t get something you really wanted, or the loss of a loved one. To give the piece depth, though, try to include a lesson that you learned from the experience, like being grateful for what you do have, or the importance of spending time with the people we love while they’re still with us.
For instance, you might write a love story, but told from the perspective of a household item, like a stapler or a thumbtack. Try telling the story of a personal milestone, like your first day of school, from your pet dog or cat’s perspective.
If you write a blog about technology, for instance, you might start each day by reading up on the latest tech news. If you see a story about a new technology in development, a change in policy that could affect tech startups, or a scandal that could potentially hurt a big player in the industry, you could write a blog post discussing the implications of that story. If you’re writing fiction, you could expand upon the story by writing your own take of what happened.
Read works by writers you love or hate, or by writers you’ve never heard of. What really matters is that you’re reading. Find a magazine on a topic you are interested in, and skim the pages. For instance, you might open up a copy of National Geographic and look for a new discovery. Poetry can also be a great source of inspiration. Try reading one of your favorite poems, but look at it from the perspective of a writer, rather than just a reader.
Movies can also offer great ideas on dialogue, characters, or scenery.
When you find a piece of art that speaks to you, it can engage your imagination, giving you a world of new ideas to write about.
You can experiment with blacking out many words to make short poems, or only blacking out some words to make longer poems. You can write a broad narrative using nouns, verbs, and adjectives, or create a more coherent story using words like “is,” “of,” and “the. " This creative exercise can help inspire you to create more written work, or you might decide you want to dedicate more time to crafting blackout poetry.
Set the goal to write 1,000 words a day, one article a week, or one poem a day—whatever works for you and your writing style.
Try running, swimming, cycling, or yoga. You could also play a sport like tennis or soccer.
If you want to run a marathon, you know you need regular exercise to get your body into shape if you want to succeed. Writing is the same way, except you’re training your brain instead of your body.
Meditation is a great way to get in touch with your subconscious, so it might help you break through if you’re struggling to put the pieces of a story together.
Go for a walk or hike in a nearby park. While you’re there, focus on the trees, landscape, and animals. You can also visit a local zoo or aquarium, or just sit in the grass outside your home, watching birds and bugs that go by.
Think about that interesting character you sat next to in the airport. Imagine what their life is like. Where do they live? What do they do for a living? You could also contemplate what it would be like to be an insect. Think about what it would be like to live in a hive, what you might do all day, and how strong you would be.
Search for writing communities in your area, or gather peers interested in writing. Meet up at a local coffee shop or cafe and discuss your writing ideas. Exchange work for feedback. [19] X Research source
For example, Ernest Hemingway used to write first thing every morning. Kurt Vonnegut used to do sit-ups and push-ups in between his writing. [21] X Research source
Instead of writing your autobiography, for instance, you might write about an interesting man you met in the supermarket. If you are stuck on the ending to your murder mystery, try writing an inspiring account of your hero.
If you have been working on a novel, for instance, try to write a poem instead. Try writing a short story if you normally write long-form blogs.
