The Writer’s Help Guide – A Spark of Inspiration
Hello, my name is Ros. I am currently studying in my second year of BA(Hons) Creative Writing. In the Post-Digital Content module, we were given the task of creating an article of evergreen content; content that would always be relevant and useful. I decided to produce an article designed to help new and aspiring writers, along with maybe offering a boost of creative flow to any accomplished writers.
The Writer’s Help Guide
A Spark of Inspiration by Rosalyn Hill
In this edition: How to combat Writer’s Block.
Did you Know? Even established authors experience the BLOCK.
Joshua Cohen in, Ask The Paris Review:
‘The Block can be daylong, or weeklong; it can last for years or decades. You might take comfort from the fact that while writing can’t be forced, time spent not writing can be put to good use.’
Ben Marcus in, Literary Hub
‘Writer’s block, happens when writing is an obligation and not a desire.’
While some things may be obvious, I want to share
with you the less thought of Blocker Busters:
Create a Writer’s Remedy Jar
Each time you have a flash of inspiration, maybe for a character or a scene, a storyline or a setting – write it down on a piece of paper, fold it up and store them in a jar. Then each time you are looking for something to kickstart your creative juices, have a dip into the jar and see what randomness you can discover!
Rework a story you dislike into something you’d LIKE to read.
Think about a book you’ve wanted to fling at the wall because it’s perhaps got an ambiguous ending, or a character that begins to lose their identity and authenticity. Maybe you believe that you could have told a greater story from start to finish. Make this desire to create something better, into your own unique version.
Browse through photographs, old and new.
This could be an old family album, even images of castles or goblins on Pinterest. As you look at the vast amount of images available to us all, try to think with an open mind. What if, the tall man pictured at the back of the christening photo turned out to be a serial killer? What if, inside one of the boats moored at the picturesque harbour, lay a dead body undiscovered? Or, what if, the statues in a stately garden came alive and talked? Another way to be inspired is to venture outdoors with your camera and take up-close photos of even the most ordinary objects. The images produced can be quite distortive and illusional. I think you’ll agree that this photo I captured of a weathered piece of driftwood, could be reimagined as a cityscape for a work of fantasy.
I give you permission to buy a new notebook.
Have a browse around the shops or online for the trendiest, funkiest, crisp new notebook that catches your eye. Buy it with zero regrets and make a promise with yourself to write in it daily. This maybe an idea for a quirky character based on someone sitting at the next table in a coffee shop, or an interesting conversation you overhear. Try to pay attention to the normal and mundane, because hidden within these moments are nuggets of revelation.
Establish a collaboration.
What better way to spur on your creativity than to be able to continually bounce ideas between fellow writers? You may have an idea for a project that’s just simmering but you need those thought processes to bring it to the boil. Great minds don’t always think alike, but they incite inspiration and thought processes that bring the best results.
This article was produced as part of a co-op with my peers.
We all collaborated and discussed our ideas for evergreen content and decided to produce a variety of articles designed to offer guidance and inspiration to all writers. If you are still looking for further creative advice, then please take a look at the following articles written by our co-op group:
The ‘How To’ on Music for New Writers by Jess Hamilton
Top Spots for Walking Your Pen – Why Being Outdoors Inspires Writing by Amy Barrett
My article was voted to be published in FalWriting. I would like to continue to write similar articles, offering any inspiration I think may help fellow writers, covering a variety of different topics. I’m planning to incorporate these into my own blog and Instagram account. Some of the subjects
I hope to cover in the future would be:
Short Story Survival Guide
Mastering Scene Creation
Evoking the Emotion
Avoiding Cliches
The Protagonist’s Journey
I would love to hear your feedback, and any requests you may have for future articles. Please contact me: at my email.
References: Writer’s Quotes Literary Hub.
by Rosalyn Hill
About the briefs and co-ops
On week 3 of the Post-Digital Content module, students where asked to respond to the brief of Writers and Beginnings. This piece from the Dauphin co-op was selected for publication by the editorial team of the module. Dauphin specialises on beginner audiences.