Beating Writer's Block -- How to Find Inspiration

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "In writing, there is first a creating stage -- a time you look for ideas, you explore, you cast around for what you want to say. Like the first phase of building, this creating stage is full of possibilities."

So, where do writers cast around? While suffering from writer’s block this week, I went on a quest to discover what inspires other writers. This is what I found:

Writers find inspiration spending time with other writers
at writers’ conferences,
in a writing class,
as members of a writers’ group,
networking online and
sharing personal experiences.

Writers find inspiration reading
books,
newspapers,
magazine articles,
quotations,
blogs,
forums,
social media status updates and
online message boards.

Writers find inspiration observing
people,
animals,
events,
the sky, and
changes in weather and seasons.

Writers find inspiration viewing
art,
photographs,
exhibits,
movies,
plays, and
television programs.

Writers find inspiration listening
to music,
conversations,
silence, and
everyday sounds.

Writers find inspiration in unique places:
museums,
zoos,
flea markets,
fairs,
historical re-enactments,
train or bus stations or airports,
natural settings like woodlands or beaches,
amusement parks and
(my favorite) in courtrooms.

And here are a few “out of the box” ideas:

Some writers find inspiration

wearing certain articles of clothing when they write (I can only imagine!),

eating specific foods while writing (or, I suppose drinking specific drinks?),

in a laundry room, sitting on a lawn chair and using an ironing board as a desk.

Are you laughing? Well, that last one came from Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code!

What inspires you to write?