INTRODUCTION

IF YOURE LIKE most writers, coming up with story ideas is rarely a problem.
More than likely, your brain bubbles over with more ideas than youll be able to
use in two and a half lifetimes. Ive yet to meet a writer who decided, Hmm, Id
like to be an authorand then sat down to brainstorm ideas. Instead, most of
us turned to writing as a way to release the pressure of the ideas already ricocheting
around in our brains.
The problem isnt that we have too few ideas, but rather that well never live
long enough to write the ideas we already have. Of course, that really isnt a
problem; its a tremendous blessing. And if a little blessing is good, a lot of
blessing must be even better, right? If a little bit of inspiration has us soaring up
near the ceiling, why not go whole hog and open ourselves to inspiration in
every possible way?
Ultimately, inspiration is an intensely personal experienceunrepeatable and
often unresponsive to conscious prodding. You cant force inspiration. It either
happens or it doesnt. You cant sit yourself down at your desk, squeeze your
eyes shut, and demand inspiration appear in front of you complete with drum
roll and puff of smoke. Inspiration is a gift, and like all gifts it must be treated
with gratitude and responsibility.
But none of this is to say we cant position ourselves in the path of inspiration.
Instead of just waiting around for the muse to hit us in the head with a lightning
bolt, we can ingrain the habit of opening ourselves to inspiration.
In the following pages, well be exploring this most important and, in some
ways, trickiest aspect of the writing life. Ill be sharing tricks for vanquishing that
dreaded bugbear of all authorswriters blockand offering ideas on cultivating
a lifestyle and writing routine that nurtures inspiration.
K.M. Weiland
September 2014

CHAPTER 1:
HOW TO BE INSPIRED EVERYDAY
LETS START WITH a handful of tips for composing an invitation Madam
Muse wont be able to resist.

Tip #1: Pay Attention to the Details

Writing is the details. Without these little garnishes, most stories could easily be
summed up in a sentence or two. People read fiction because they want to
experience life. They want to see the way the dust motes turn to gold in a shaft
of sunlight, and they want to smell the delicate spray of an orange rind as it is
peeled back.
In order to share all these minutiae with readers, we first have to notice
them ourselves. But dont just notice them; experience them. In the end, a story
is about the little things as much, if not more, than the grand scope of life and
death. So pay attention to the color of the sky right before the sun dips below
the horizon, notice the way the bass in a sound system thrums in the soles of
your feet, absorb the smell of rain so deeply that you can describe it instinctively. Paying attention to the details will plump up your prose, but even
betterwho knows when youll stumble upon some inconsequential and
heretofore unnoticed intricacy that will prompt your next story?

Tip #2: Look Beyond the Clich

Keep your eyes wide open for the unexpected. Look beyond the obvious in
search of dichotomies. Broaden your horizons; start searching for esoteric and
little-known nuggets. When you find an idea for a story that could easily turn
into a familiar plot, hang on to it for a bit while you search for an unexpected
ingredient to throw into the mix.
Lets say you want to tell a mystery story. Dont settle for a tale about a
hard-boiled cop in an inner-city district. Dig deeper. What would be unexpected? What would be out of the ordinary? A story isnt ready to be written
until youve been able to add at least two or three layers of juxtaposition.

Tip #3: Wait for Your Subconscious

Never underestimate your subconscious. When you reach a snarl in your plot,
dont think too hard. You can only push your conscious brain so far. After
backing myself and my characters into a seemingly insurmountable corner, Ive
often sat at the keyboard for hours, racking my brain for an answer that just
wouldnt come. But when I return to the problem the next day, after my

subconscious has had a chance to mull on the matter overnight, the solution is
usually staring me in the face.
When you come across a snippet of an idea you arent quite certain how to
develop, toss it into your subconscious for a while. Sometimes an idea stews in
the back of my mind for years before suddenly reappearing on center stage as
something worth pursuing.

Tip #4: Put Your Conscious Mind to Work

Nobody says you have to wait for inspiration to come to you. Put your conscious mind to work and brainstorm. Give yourself idea deadlines (for
example: Im going to come up with a new story idea every day). Buy a book of
journaling prompts (such as Jack Heffrons The Writers Idea Book) or google
one of the hundreds of websites that offer prompts. Schedule idea-hunting day
trips and sally forth with notebook and pen in hand.

Tip #5: Dont Wait for Inspiration

Wed all like to take up permanent residence in that rarefied atmosphere where
the inspiration high is a constant. But as all writers discover, that high
inevitably dissipates. If we allow our writing to dissipate with it, well never
finish a story, much less be read by anyone.

How Not to Be Inspired

Living an inspired life can be tougher than it looks. So many little things can
creep into our lives and steal our creativity when were not paying attention.
Take a look at some of the following habits. Are any of them killing your
creativity?

1. Sleep First, Write Later

As someone who claims sleep as a favorite hobby, Ill be the first to tell you
that when I give in to the urge to slap my snooze button, instead of dragging
myself out of bed to see what my characters are up to, inspiration never has a
chance.

2. Fail to Set Goals

Goals, even modest goals, are one of the best ways to stay motivated and, in
turn, to stay inspired. If you have a grand vision for the future of your writing,
inspiration will ooze right out of you. This is how Mt. Rushmore and the
Golden Gate Bridge were builtwhy not your magnum opus as well?

3. Allow Others to Guilt You Out of Your Writing Time

Non-writers often fail to understand our need to craft fiction. But thats no
reason to let them convince you your writing isnt important. You must first
make your writing a priority in your own life. Family and friends will eventually
get the hint.

4. Fritter Away Your Writing Time on Unimportant Details

Writing is the most exciting pursuit in the worlduntil we actually have to sit
down and start typing. In the face of that daunting blank page, its far too easy
to wimp out and start in on easier tasks: dusting the monitor, editing and reediting what we wrote yesterday, or maybe even sharpening all our pencils to
precisely the same length.

5. Keep Your Mind Too Busy

Especially in this modern era of go go go, its far too easy to fill our minds
with busy work, and then forget to empty it. Creativity needs some quiet time.
For a few minutes every day, take yourself for long walks, stare out a window,
or just curl up on the couch with the cat and a cup of coffeeand let the
dreams spin their webs in your head.

6. Expect Perfection All the Time

Nothing kills creativity faster than perfectionism, especially during a first draft.
Dont let your inner editor demand impossible perfection. Instead, train
yourself and your editor to work in tandem, fixing as you go, but always
moving forward, trusting the imperfections will get ironed out in later drafts.

7. Stay in Your Comfort Zone

If youre writing the same old thing over and over again, youre going to bore
your readers, and probably yourself as well. Be brave. Chart new territories and
step into the void of the unknown. Inspiration will rush to fill the vacuum.

For every word your brain spits onto the page, you also need to be taking in ten
new words. Read voraciously. Stuff your mind and soul with art in all its
formsbooks, movies, music, paintings, photography. Let it brew for a while.
Your creative life will become scads richer.

9. Stop Studying the Craft

Inspiration without education is a well that often runs dry. Read everything

about writing you can get your hands on: books, magazines, blogs. Never stop
learning and youll never stop being inspired.

10. Waiting for The Zone

Its a sad but true fact that inspiration doesnt always seem like inspiration. If
we wait around for that electric feeling, were likely to do more waiting than
writing. Dont just pray for rain: prepare your ground. Inspiration is most likely
to visit those who are sitting at their keyboards typing away even when they
dont feel particularly creative.

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