When I need inspiration the top foremost rule of thumb I use is READ! even if its a simple thing like reading the newspaper or rereading a favorite author; one would be amazed at what inspiring concepts one can come up with by reading. Another concept which takes a bit more thought is watch one of your favorite movies or TV shows. The reason I say that this takes more thought is because you don't just watch the movie or show you try to put yourself or better think of how your own characters would react to a what the series or movie characters situations are. The other night I watched an episode of The Walking Dead its not a series I watch regularly but I thought I would give it a try. Those of you who are familiar with the show know that its based primary on a world where the dead have returned to life the ancient genre of zombies however the show isn't lets escape the downtown mall concept it pays attention more to the none zombie characters.
Another concept I sometimes use is multiplayer games on the PC such as Rift. Now this I wont recommend to the novice writer because its so easy to be distracted from the writing. What I do is take the creative character aspect one step further I visualize character behavior patterns while I'm playing.
While I sometimes do use music play lists for inspiration I find that music lists are distracting for my own personal use. However a music list does enable me to "drown out" the world around me and stop both visual and hearing distractions. Surprisingly even with music cranked this effect is the same.
Believe me there are days when finding inspiration to write is like beating my head against the wall. On the worst days the most I write is 20 words then throw my hands up in the air and swear at the Muses! But DON'T let these days trump your creative spirits, keep trucking at the manuscript no matter what!
Another concept I sometimes use is multiplayer games on the PC such as Rift. Now this I wont recommend to the novice writer because its so easy to be distracted from the writing. What I do is take the creative character aspect one step further I visualize character behavior patterns while I'm playing.
While I sometimes do use music play lists for inspiration I find that music lists are distracting for my own personal use. However a music list does enable me to "drown out" the world around me and stop both visual and hearing distractions. Surprisingly even with music cranked this effect is the same.
Believe me there are days when finding inspiration to write is like beating my head against the wall. On the worst days the most I write is 20 words then throw my hands up in the air and swear at the Muses! But DON'T let these days trump your creative spirits, keep trucking at the manuscript no matter what!
