Inspiration for the Creative Process

Casey Desmet

Overview

As a writer, have you ever tried to start a new project and just didn’t know what to do? Have you felt like there just isn’t a creative bone in your body? If so, this is the resource page for you!

These sources include...

General information about brainstorming and the creative process
Useful articles on a variety of topics
Tips for boosting your creativity

...to help you when you feel like you've hit the doldrums of writing.

Yeah, yeah, SO WHAT? There are lots of resources out there about creativity. However, there are not very many that lay out actual tips for creating ideas that are all located on one page. In that there are so many resources out there for writers, a resource that includes the most valuable and useful information specifically about creativity and tips for getting started would be very useful to anyone who’s feeling that their creativity isn’t up to par. Though this resource may be especially helpful to creative writers, it can be useful to any writer who needs a little added oomph in their writing process.

Fighting Writer’s Block

Fighting Writer's Block: The Four Real Causes

The first in a three-part series, this article talks about the four real causes of writer’s block and what writers can do to overcome it. It is a very useful article and discusses some interesting topics that might not often be thought of, including how trying to compose in your head can lead to excessive writer’s block.

"Other than an empty mailbox, perhaps the most frightening sight for a freelance writer is the blank page."

Fighting Writer's Block: Seven Blockbusters

The second article in the series discusses seven “blockbusters” to the problem of writer’s block. Though some of these tips are nothing new, some are rather helpful including re-reading and notating as well as writing dialogue. An especially useful part of this article is that is doesn’t simply lay out solutions. Instead, it builds a thoughtful discussion and explains why each solution is useful.

Fighting Writer's Block Part III

There is also a third part in this mini-series,which is also somewhat useful. It discusses the mistakes writers make that lead to writer's block. It also discusses a process called Block Writing which helps to alleviate writer’s block. This article series is very useful as it delves into the dreaded world of writer’s block and ways to "undo" it.

Writer's Block: Is it all in your Head?

The idea of whether writer’s block is actually real or not is discussed in this article. It discusses in depth the functions of the brain and its role (vs. the ‘soul’) in the creation of writer’s block. It provides a debate between whether writer’s block is an actual condition or simply a psychological phenomenon that writers create. A rather long article, it continues on to a discussion of what writers think about writer's block and their remedies. This article is very interesting and definitely worth a read!

"If you're a writer, you can bet there'll be times when the words aren't flowing well or not at all. You're stuck."

Beating the Writing Blues

What is a Writer?

This article hashes out the stereotypical definition/image of a writer as well as the age old question that all writers face; “am I good enough?” This article is a must-read for any writer that is scared of submitting a piece or who suffers from low writing self-esteem. Providing seven myths of “a real writer,” this article gives a reassuring glimpse of what all writers face.

Ten Tips on Beating the Writing Blues

From a tried-and-true writer, this article discusses ten tips to overcoming the writing blues. This article discusses an array of “writing blues” from physical problems such as weight-gain to organizational problems such as desk space. This article will be most helpful for 'well-seasoned' freelance writers. It provides simple solutions to everyday writing blues.

Igniting your Creativity

Tapping your Innate Creativity

This article discusses the myth that creative people are different than the rest of us. The importance of creativity in all pieces of writing is talked about and followed by a detailed discussion of right- and left-brain functions as well as other things that can help spark creativity. This article gives examples of things that enhance creativity such as music, peaceful settings, and scents. Many of these examples are thoughtful and have the ability to be very useful (and fun!).

"Tap into your own innate creativity and add sparkle to your writing!"

10 Creative Myths

This site outlines ten creative myths that are damaging to the creative process and provides a brief discussion of each. The information presented in this site is quite simple, which has both its advantages and disadvantages. The discussion of each myth is very witty and the overall page is really funny. Take myth number four for example; “Constructive criticism will help my colleague improve her idea. Yeah, and tripping a child when she is learning to walk will help her improve her walking skills.” Ha! As a whole, this site provides new ideas to the realm of creativity and it is also a great read!

10 Steps for Boosting Creativity

This site provides a list of ten steps for boosting your creativity. As with the previous page from jpb.com, this page is also very funny while still giving ten fairly good tips. The information provided here might be a little too general, but it’s still worth it (especially for the laughs!).

Writing Prompts

This site is fairly elementary in appearance and in some of its prompts, but others are pretty good. It provides 203 writing prompts including “write about what you’d say to an uninvited guest,” “write about a brief but scary encounter with one of your old professors,” or “write an excuse for not working today.” This seems to be a good site to get writers thinking and ideas flowing.

365 Writing Prompts

A new writing prompt everyday! This site posts a new prompt online everyday which is great for creative writers who need to generate some new ideas. These prompts are actually pretty good. Some are funny and others are more serious. There is also the ability to post your response online on the Writer’s Digest Forum.

Writer's Digest

As a whole, Writer's Digest, is a great resource for any writer. It is a good site in general to search for lots of things pertaining to writing!

Just for Fun!

Idea Evaluator

The following comic strips are simply for your enjoyment!

Comic 1 | Comic 2 | Comic 3 | Comic 4

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