How to get inspiration to write

My interaction with the content industry began immediately after high school. Until recently, I was always the youngest among my peers, and thus had the benefit of being around people who were much more experienced in work and life; I took advantage of that. I paid attention to what the wisest and most experienced had to say.  I made a point to ask questions of authors. One question I often asked was the obvious: what do you do to get inspired? The answers were similar, though in different forms: “Inspiration is a matter of discipline more than a sudden magical moment of random creativity”. I have found that to be true in most areas of life.

Here are some ideas on putting together a plan to write:

1.    Block time: Decide which days and/or hours of the day you will dedicate to create.

2.    Write no matter what. Even if you throw away some or much of what you write, write.

3.    Be accountable to someone or set self-imposed deadlines.

• a.    Tell a friend or relative who has your best interest at heart what you are doing.  

• b.    Tell that person you will send him/her a sample in a specific date.

• c.    Social media: Another idea is to announce your plan to the world and give them a date when you’ll share a little bit of your creation.

4.    Know you’ll pay a price. Yes, you’ll want to watch YouTube videos, you’ll want to watch a movie. Better yet, your sister will ask you to baby-sit, to pick up the kids for her; someone else may ask that you run an errand for them. Set some boundaries and stay the course. Unless it is a true emergency, take writing seriously.

5.    Enjoy the ride. Whether your writing is assigned or self-imposed, try to enjoy the process, you might as well.

6.    Reward yourself. After each important milestone, go ahead and watch that video, or as Jordan Peterson says in his book 12 Rules for Life, “go out for that expensive coffee”, spend time with your nieces and nephews.  it’s all good.

Remember, set time aside, make yourself write, be accountable to someone, be aware of the price you’ll pay, enjoy the ride and reward yourself. Good luck and keep moving forward!