Quick Inspiration

    This week has been a bit of a struggle for me. I haven't written anything in a little while, and I keep choosing TV over writing. I haven't had much energy, which is why I keep choosing to watch TV over writing. I was hoping to get another chapter of Powerful written, but I've been super lame.
    And now I get to spend a lot of my time reading contest entries. One of my writer friends invited me to judge a contest of super hero short stories, and since the contest ended today, I get to start reading and judging entries. Which means I won't be writing.
     Hopefully, reading all these short stories will refill some of my creative energy which has been drained for some reason. I need a boost of creative energy badly. 

    Last week Husband of Mine took me to see Cinderella in the theaters, and it got my mind rolling on a way to do my Cinderella rewrite that I've been thinking of since I started working on Rose. I got some really cool ideas spinning around in my head, but it also started a bit of a controversy since it's nothing like it was originally supposed to be. It's not set in modern day France, but it's full of magic, lost shoes, and political intrigue. It could be pretty exciting, but it's not what I originally intended, which spells trouble for my other ideas. Trying to sort through these thoughts has completely drained my creative energy leaving me unable to write anything for Powerful.

    That's inspiration for another time, though. What I wanted to share was a post I found for quick ways to inspire you to write. The website is called Live Write Thrive.
    Her advice is split into three categories based on how much time you have- ten minutes, thirty minutes, and large chunks of time.  I'm planning to hopefully do some ten minutes things tomorrow to get back into a bit of the writing groove, since I have slacked off horribly. Anyway, here's her advice.

Ten Minutes-

• Listen to Music
• Write by hand
• Meditate
• Talk to other writers
• Do Word Associations
• Take your mind off your writing
• Look at greens and blues (creative colors)
• Free write
• Change your scenery (Go to a park or a bookstore)
• Laugh and relax

Thirty Minutes-

• Make something by hand (cook or craft)
• Go outdoors
• Play sports (or something else physical rather than mental)
• Try something new
• Sleep (my personal favorite!)

Large Chunk of Time-

• Ignore Perfection
• Go abroad
• Create a treasure chest of inspiration (or a Pinterest board!)
• Study what excites your creativity
• Don't wait for a muse or for inspiration to strike. Go out and find it.

    I really want to emphasize that last bullet point- DO NOT WAIT FOR INSPIRATION TO COME TO YOU. You will be waiting a very long time for nothing to actually happen. Inspiration comes when you fill your creative energy and that won't happen if you sit around doing nothing. It definitely won't happen if all you do is sit and watch TV. You have to actively work for inspiration. 

    This week I'm planning to do a free write and turn off the tv for a while so I can do some creative work instead of nothing productive. What will you do to seek out inspiration?

    ~Alyson