For the past few installments, we have talked about some entry level information about writing. This is all well and good, but part of the reason I wanted to make this blog was to elaborate as to how I write, my thoughts on things. I know that, as I stated before, any and all advice on art is inherently spawned from opinion. I’m not explaining math here. The difference between those opinions and this opinion is that I’m not going to be telling you what I think ought to be done, but simply what I like to do. Today, we will be talking about inspiration.
A moment’s attention on the way writers are represented in media will almost always come up with at least one utterance of the word inspiration or something adjacent to it. Apparently, there is an ongoing epidemic of writers who are perpetually experiencing writer’s block. One may begin to wonder how anything gets written if every writer can’t think of a single thing to write. The truth is, the reason every writer seems to have writers block is because the writers who don’t are too busy writing to bemoan how backed up their creative pipes are on the internet.
There are quite literally an infinite number of sources of inspiration in the world. I’m currently writing a series of short stories that was inspired by looking at a hole in a notebook. I’ve got another story I’m cooking up that I first thought of by looking at set of floor tiles. But these examples most often come out of the blue. I’m not thinking up a hundred impossible things before breakfast.
The reason I have a consistent enough stream of ideas to be confident in a career in creative writing is because I have things in my life that consistently inspire me, two of them being music and art.
Music
I absolutely love listening to weird music. The lyrics are hard to figure out, the sounds are something you’ve likely never heard before, the song can be anywhere between fifteen minutes and forty-five seconds in length. I’m terrified of letting strangers listen to what I listen to my music because I know it’ll just be awkward. My playlists are a mess to, I can’t even tell you my favorite genre because I jump all over the place. That’s mostly because I listen to music to pay attention to it. I can’t even sleep with music because my brain lights up like a roman candle. My advice for people looking to find something to write about, take a long car ride or just spend an hour of your free time to pay attention to the music you listen to. What are they saying? What does your brain want to imagine when you hear the instruments? Try to figure out what instruments you’re hearing. That simple kind of brain activity can set off an explosions in your head—but… it might ruin sleeping if you use music for that… Sorry.
Art
I love weird art. Not like art that’s literally just a banana taped to a wall, but art that depicts something weird. Have you ever looked at art inspired by H.P. Lovecraft? It’s crazy, but equally amazing. I find videogame concept-art works good too, after all, concept art is meant to inspire further creativity. Art inspires art, don’t be surprised if it inspires you.
Something one should always keep in mind is that inspiration isn't always consistent. What works for me may not for thee, that's why I will always ask you to experiment to find what fits you best. We’ll get back to me preaching next time, so stay tuned!
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