As a writer, a loss for inspiration is bound to haunt you at one point or another. It's difficult to continue coming up with refreshing ideas or prompts. Distinguishing writer's block from laziness is an encounter I constantly have to myself. For the longest time, I would mentally scold myself for my lazy writing habits. Later, I would realize it was writer's block that continuously stopped me from picking up a pen and paper.
It's an unbearable feeling to not be able to write as someone who uses the language arts to express themselves. Most of my life's most important revelations came through writing. When I undergo writer's block, it's painful and frustrating. There are a ton of reasons as to why one's inspiration or motivation to write is lost.
Personally, the one reason that drives my writer's block is usually that there is nothing new in my life to write about. Being content with the life you live is a must, but there needs to be some sort of challenge or difference in your daily routine. Why? The distinctive memories, moments and challenges in life are essential to one's creative mind.
There's a sense of uncertainty and experimentation when it comes to writing. That is why it's impossible to avoid writer's block. There's a lot of pressure to write something you, as a writer, will deem good enough. Writers have tons of expectations imposed on them by people who have read any of their past work, but more immensely, the expectations are placed by the writers themselves.
It's important to give yourself a breather, and commend yourself for the skills you have acquired. It's not easy to write something great, and it's even more difficult to write something that is great more than once. Allow time to bring you your revelations.
Stephen King, one of my personal favorite writers, once said a way he gets over his writer's block is by adding another component to the story. His advice can translate to a lot of meanings. One can choose to take it literally, add a new character or a twist in the plot to make the story richer. Or, the other component can be a new experience or activity you try to gain inspiration for writing.
For a brief time, I used to feel discouraged when I would read another person's writing. I would allow the comparison to kill my motivation to write. It wasn't until I began to read an abundance of poetry by Charles Bukowski that I realized something.
Instead of breaking down, I took the work I read and would use it as my muse. Bukowski has a very specific style of writing, to this day I have never read anything that makes me feel the same way a Bukowski piece does. His writing isn't clean and it isn't something that would fall into the stereotype of great writing, but those facts are what made his words so legendary.
When I feel uninspired, I try to take myself out of my routine. Whether that means going to breakfast by myself or planning a trip with friends; I know that the experience I gain from it will provide me with ideas and words. Not to mention a break from your everyday life will only better your mental health and provide you with a happier and different perspective on your days.
