Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Has your creative well run dry?

Ever hit a bare, desolate patch in your life where your creativity seems to have dried up? And the longer you worry about it, the more pressure you put on yourself to spark it, the longer the effect seems to last?

I’ve been through this sort of experience more than a few times. These last couple of times though, I’ve taken closer notice of what’s helped rejuvenate me.

Reading for pleasure – it’s like a super strength bag of fertilizer. This is the biggest pick me up I know that refills my creative well. Relaxing with a good book pulls me away from the desolate desert of worry. The energy, the ideas, the emotions that come with reading another author’s work feeds me and stimulates my mind, de-stressing me while rejuvenating me.

Watching movies – just another version of reading for pleasure.

Writing something every day – even if it’s not the next WIP it keeps the working parts ticking over, the eye in, the skills from getting rusty. It temporarily satisfies the drive to be doing “something” in the writing arena.

What fills your creative well when the levels fall low?

6 comments:

  1. Books, books, and more books. I read anything and everything I can get my hands on. At first, it doesn't do much. After a few weeks of reading amazing books the ideas start to trickle back in.

    Reading one bad book makes me scream, and sit at the computer to type in revenge. Surely, if someone can publish a genre novel written entirely in passive voice while telling, not showing, I can too!

    If the books don't get me up and running again a good adventure-comedy movie will usually give me enough snarky one-liners that I can make a new character.

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  2. Great suggestions. I agree 100%. Occasionally we all get stuck in the doldrums.
    Like Liana - I'll watch a comedy - always gets me re-booted!

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  3. Thanks for sharing what works for you, Liana & Julia.

    I get what you mean by reading a bummer of a novel and thinking "how did THAT get published!?!?"

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  4. I also like to read to find inspiration--especially some of my favorite authors or books, in particular. Movies are good, and listening to music can sometimes unplug the dam, too.

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  5. I find that doing something related to the project, like making up a play list of songs or designing a cover can help psych me up for the writing itself.

    Great post, I have these dry spells way too often.

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  6. I find it fascinating that we all use things that appeal to our other senses - very creative orientated in origin (but then I suppose that's the whole point *VBG*).

    Sometimes I also like to get outside and garden or mow - very mindless and good to mull things over in the subconscious.

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