From Blocked to Brilliant: Tips for Keeping the Creative Spark Alive

It's no secret that the key to a successful writing career is creativity, but the creative process itself? Yikes.

Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, there are times when the ideas seem to dry up or you get caught in a rut, writing the same thing over and over or only when you feel "inspired." 

So what happens when your creativity starts to dwindle? 

Here are five tips to help you keep the creative spark alive and burning bright. 

1. Read, read, and read some more. 

Make time every day to read something, whether it’s a blog post, a book, or articles on your favorite website. The more you read, the more ideas you’ll have to fuel your own writing. (For me, this also applies to watching movies.)

2. Switch up your normal routine. 

If you always write at the same time of day, in the same place, try shaking things up a bit. Write in the morning instead of at night, or vice versa, or try a new location.

3. Take some time for yourself. 

When you're feeling blocked creatively, it can be helpful to take some time for yourself, even if it's just 10-15 minutes. Step away from your work and do something that relaxes you. This can help clear your mind and give you a fresh perspective.

4. Talk to other writers. 

When you're struggling with your writing, talking to other writers can be incredibly helpful. Many have been there before and can talk you through it.

5. Do your best to write every day. 

Even if it's just a few hundred words, getting into the habit of writing regularly will help keep those creative juices flowing.

It's not always easy to keep the creative spark alive, but the ideas are out there, and if you can keep the faith (and your eyes and mind open to the possibilities), who knows? 

The next idea that hits could be the one that catapults you to bestsellerdom. 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

Book Recommendation: The Essential Books on Writing

We're moving into the holiday season, so I can already feel things both speeding up and slowing down simultaneously (doesn't really help that the future of Twitter hangs in the balance), but before I go on my holiday hiatus, I just wrapped up another writing reference guide that I think you'll appreciate.

My official review:

Whether you’re preparing to write your first masterpiece or churn out your next bestselling novel, The Essential Books on Writing boxed set by Bryn Donovan has everything you need to get started and more. This collection is jam-packed with ideas, and part of its appeal lies in the fact that it doesn’t need to be read from cover to cover. 5,000 Writing Prompts and Master Lists for Writers are reference guides that include super-creative story prompts and thoughtful, easy-to-navigate lists covering plots, words, names, and character quirks (among many others). 

In Blank Page to Final Draft, Donovan offers writing insights that are both practical and actionable. Selections that stand out include the advice on how to end a chapter, the questions to ask beta readers so they know what to look for, and how you can turn a character’s good quality into something negative.

Any writer at any stage can benefit from any of these books, but I think more seasoned writers will appreciate the plot and word lists while first-time novelists will appreciate Donovan’s approach to writing a book, which allows them to work at their own pace.

*I was gifted an ARC of this book to review, but this in no way swayed my opinion. For me, this Essential Books collection is an easy five stars—an exceptional resource for any writer in search of new ideas and inspiration for their next project and practical advice on how to get their story from their head to the page. 

If this is a resource you feel like you might benefit from, you can learn more here.

As always:

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Where Do Writers Get Their Inspiration From?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Romance Anthology Authors are talking Inspiration over at the blog this week! 

Find out where we get our ideas from. 💖 

"I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve come to believe that writers co-create with the universe—that it offers us bits and pieces of information/inspiration because it wants us to do something with them. It’s happened when listening to music, while watching movies, when a character’s name fell right into my lap…. It’s never just 'thinking' about something; it always feels like more, somehow. So I take these bits and pieces and ruminate on them, adding and subtracting in the best interest of the story, and draw on whatever additional insights the universe is willing to toss my way with gratitude as I work toward 'The End.'" 

-- Katie Klein, "How to Save a Princess"

What Should I Write About? Part Deux

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called "What Should I Write About?" 

In it, I argued that a writer should focus on an idea that excites them and/or something that piques their curiosity. 

This week, I'll be more specific, so. . . .

What Should I Write About?

Well, look around you. 

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

What's in the news? What are the hot topics? 

What headlines are grasping people's attention? 

What books are people reading? 

What movies and shows are they watching? 

What do they seem to want more of? 

What stories or storylines could use reinventing? 

Is there a new spin you can put on an old tale? 

Every new story told is informed by the stories that came before it. One story inspires the next and the next. . . .

There is nothing new under the sun--there is only our unique voice and style, and the choices that will make the story exclusively ours.

So take a familiar topic (that interests you and/or piques your curiosity) and manipulate it, telling the story as only you can.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

What Should I Write About?

An idea that excites you. 

Let's be real: you'll be reading this book a lot. And I mean . . . A LOT. If it's going to bore you, it's going to bore your reader. And since you're going to be investing the next three, six, nine, and/or twelve months of your life on this one story, it should be a good one. 

Something that piques your curiosity.

What's a topic you're interested in learning more about? And this doesn't only apply to non-fiction writers. Fiction writers: what setting and emotions do you want to dive into? What ideas and themes do you want to explore?

Stories are everywhere. Ideas are all around us. The more you take in (via books, the news cycle, movies, music, etc.) the more you'll have to draw upon when it comes time to sit in the chair and get to work. 

Life is too short to waste time on ideas you're only marginally interested in exploring. 

Keep it curious, and keep it exciting.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

Which Came First?

The chicken or the egg?

Or . . . . which came first?

The character

The title

The climax

The first sentence

The last sentence

A funny line

A tragedy

A name

An interest

A desire

A need

There is no wrong place to begin brainstorming a story. 

For Cross My Heart, the idea came from a song ("November Rain"), and Jaden (as a perfectionist) arrived first. For Rise, Fallon's name came first, and that she was a musician (a rock star violinist) second. For All I Never Wanted, the idea about a girl in a rehab facility came from a movie I'd recently watched, and for my latest WIP (work in progress), the villain arrived before anyone else.

The point?

Ideas can show up anywhere and at any time, and while they rarely show up fully formed, there is no right or wrong "first."

There is no order in creativity.

The act of creating is messy.

Anything that pops into your head can be built upon, so take that little nugget from the universe (a gift, really) and make that story happen.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Just Start

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I'll say it ad nauseam.

Don't wait until you're inspired to write. 

You're more likely to find inspiration once you sit down at the computer or open that notebook and put the pen to the page or fingers to the keyboard than you are maneuvering blindly about, waiting for that perfect "lightning" sentence or word or idea.

Don't wait for "the mood."

There is no mood. The mood doesn't exist.

(But if there is a "mood," again, you certainly won't find it until you sit down and begin to work.)

Put your current mood to work.

Don't know what to write? 

Start with a prompt. Start with a character. Start with a setting. Start with a list of words that you love. Start with "I don't know what to write." Fill the page if you must.

Just start.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Ideas vs. Situations

"I want to write a book, but I don't have a good idea."

or the flipside: 

"I have a great idea. It needs to be a book."

An idea, however, does not "a story" make.

An idea is a little spark that might set a story in motion, but it's not enough. 

What you're really looking for is a situation. 

Boy meets girl. 

This is an idea.

A German boy falls in love with a Jewish girl in the moments before Hitler's Army comes to town.

This is a situation. 

A situation demands the question: "what happens next?"

The idea is where the story starts, but the situation drives the narrative.

When inspiration strikes, make sure it's a situation (or figure out how to turn it into one). 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

But What Do I Write About?

Write about something you know--some small aspect of your life--a personal experience or a world you're familiar with. Something that requires no research. Forget the facts; tell the story.

Don't worry about being perfect; just make it as good as you can.

Writing a book is hard. 

That doesn't mean you're not capable of doing it or shouldn't give it a shot. 

It just means that it's hard.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Ideas vs. Action

It's so much easier to think about what we want to write than it is to actually write it.
It's so much easier to fantasize about the creation than it is to create it.
It's so much easier to talk about all the great things we could do than it is to actually do them. 
It's so much easier to ignore that pull than it is to step up and admit we might actually have something important to share with the world.

Do you see the pattern here?

Everything we have in this world was once an idea that was acted upon.

The idea alone isn't enough. 

The action--the follow-up--is what matters.

Because the book in your hands is worth way more than the book in your head.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~