'I' is for Ideas and Inspiring

As a writer, my brain often feels a bit like a washing machine, constantly whizzing, humming, buzzing, with new ideas I've found when I watch TV, drive, read the paper, sit in the hairdressers or stand in the queue at the supermarket.

Ideas pop up at the most inopportune moments. On a couple of occasions I had to jot them down on the back of a till receipt or use an eye liner to write key words and consequently, I've learnt to always carry a notepad around and even have one by the side of my bed in case I wake up in the night, suddenly struck by the next novel.

I’ve studied lots on how to generate ideas and overcome writer’s block but personally, I’ve never been short on ideas. My next three novels are imprinted firmly in my mind’s eye with thumbnail sketches of the characters, plot and settings for each. I have a writer’s bin where I keep all ideas, including titles and key phrases for stories or novels as well as any superfluous work I might have edited in the past. A bit like the loft, it’s important never to throw anything away. You never know when it might come in handy.

However, my problem is sometimes I don’t feel inspired to create anything with them. It’s really hard to come up with a piece of quality work or something of value for a blog, article or story line. I need something to inspire me - that trigger from the idea that gets me going, writing something I feel so passionately about, that once I start putting pen to paper and write the first word, it is a catalyst for everything else whirring around in my head, to transpose on to the piece of paper where your pen is yielded; an effortless transition from brain to pen to paper and before you know it, the piece has written itself.

When I’m truly inspired, I find I'm desperate to get that idea punched into the PC, and once I’m on a roll nothing will stop me, not even the internet connection (and Facebook and Blogger ;) I know part of this is tangled around discipline or motivation, and that's another blog altogether, but I’ve found the A – Z challenge has been really good for me -in an inspiring way.

- I’ve discovered that I am inspired and most productive when I’m writing about something that’s important to me. Then, the blogs almost write themselves.
- Despite it being extra workload on top of my existing, I’ve found myself constantly thinking of ideas, jotting things almost brainstorming in desperation, and when I look back over the ideas I’d written down, there are sometimes glimmers of little gems in there.
- It’s been better to brainstorm ideas and write down everything but the key has been doing it RIGHT NOW. There’s no time for procrastinating when I’m trying to blog every day and work on the novel to get it in for the RNA New Writers Scheme. I can always edit afterwards but I’ve needed to DO IT NOW to keep on top of the blogs.
- And finally, and a bit perverse, I’ve found that the pressure of time has also forced me to be creative and that’s been a real eye-opener.
English writer Graham Green attributes much of his success to that simple habit. He forced himself to write at least 500 words daily, whether he felt like it or not.

It’s the lifeblood of a writer to be able to generate ideas and get on with the work and perhaps creative inspiration can strike at any time, but it strikes more often when there is work instead of waiting.

So there's my 'I' - IDEAS and INSPIRING

How do you get ideas and inspire yourself to write?

Until another day
Bye for now
xx