BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Creativity Stimulating Writing Creativity

If you get stuck on what topic to write about, how do you try to inspire yourself? I'll do a google search on a keyword related to the topic, and see what I find <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I never get stuck for a topic for articles, but would sometimes get stuck when writing fiction. There's a great book put out by Writer's Digest called The Writer's Idea Book. The author features TONS of helpful exercises for brainstorming, including writing prompts. I particularly like the webbing exercise, also called clustering: You write down a word in the center, and then draw a line with a circle attached--and write a word in the circle that pops into your mind related to that word and so on.

Two other good books are Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Bird by Bird by Ann LaMott.

I find that it's not ideas that are the problem - it's often getting the words on the page that is my biggest problem.

I have (at present) 5o partly completed articles for Embroidery & Australia sites, and 15 partly completed works of fiction to write.

I'll get them all done - but sometimes it just stymies and you find that you can't write anything worth reading!

Hi all,

I've just posted a review to an amazing tool to help individuals come up with ideas--including those for writing:

Bright Ideas Deck - Breakthrough To Brilliance
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29030.asp

i relax play some music00depending on my mood--burn incesnce or go out into the world. ill look at ppl and try 2 see them in someone elses eyes. i took mass comm in college w/a prefernce in journalsim. always told 2 clear ur head and pic urself somewhere else.

In general, I get inspiration from music and from my family, as well as tv. It's much more difficult to write specifically to a topic for me. It's confining a bit, but I use Google and read other articles. Some might not have anything to do with my topics, but I try to pose questions to myself as to how that topic relates to mine.

If I'm just looking to write creatively, watching MTV cribs is enough to do it for me. Just watching those rappers, skateboarders and athletes in their million dollar homes, makes me want to get my butt in gear and write that Great American Novel...and fast. LOL!

Dyna

I just read and reviewed this amazing little book:

The Art of Dreaming - Tools for Creative Dream Work

There's a link within the article to Sally J. Nelson's "Night Wings - A Soulful Dreaming and Writing Practice."

I'm excited about both of these books as they encourage both creativity and dreaming as a means of spiritual growth.

Hi all

Here's an article I wrote for songwriters which you might find interesting, which deals with creative writing and brainstorming ideas. I find that these brainstorming techniques can be used in ALL creative writing projects.

The "Attention Grabber" says "You'll never complain again of being short of ideas using this technique that's for sure ;-)."

Creative Writing Boosters - Brainstorming Technique

See what you think - let's know ...

David <img src="/images/graemlins/irish.gif" alt="" />