Writing inspiration goes hand in hand with a concentration on the result, clearly determined motives, and strong desire for success. But when the inspiration fades, the motives, desire, and results no longer have their value. Given the fact that writing is a highly creative process, loss of inspiration can turn out a disaster.
There are thousands of techniques and methods used for waking up the desire to write and find new ideas to put on the paper. These techniques have their benefits and have a positive effect on a writer’s inspiration. However, sometimes they are futile. In this case, the experience of brilliant minds comes in handy.
Ernest Hemingway, Alexandre Dumas, Franz Kafka, and other famous writers of all time also had problems with finding inspiration. Being talented and totally dedicated to writing, they managed to find their own patterns to stay motivated and presume writing energy on a high level.
For you to also find your way to get inspired we researched unusual ways how famous writers get inspired:
7 Unusual Ways How Famous Writers Get Inspired
1. Moving For Better Writing
Some people think that writers spend day and nights sitting at their tables and composing words into sentences. In fact, many writers generate their best ideas while moving. Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, in his letter to his wife, wrote that he did pushups and sit ups during his working day. Additionally, he swam at least 30 minutes per day.
Haruki Murakami, a famous modern writer, also confessed that he swam and run when working on his novels.
2. Choosing Proper Instruments
Modern writers have one tool for creating their masterpieces. This tool is a laptop. Previously, each author worked with different writing instruments. They had preferences in the quality of paper, pens, pencils, and even color of the ink.
John Steinbeck always used pencils for writing. His main requirement was a well-sharpened pencil, so he kept several of them of at the table.
Edgar Allan Poe and Jack Kerouac preferred to write on scrolls, while Vladimir Nabokov used index cards for writing down his ideas.
Edgar Allan Poe and Jack Kerouac preferred to write on scrolls, while Vladimir Nabokov used index cards for writing down his ideas.
Alexandre Dumas had his own system of choosing paper for his works. He wrote his poetry on paper of yellow shades, used pink paper for writing articles, and his belles-lettres writing was created on paper of blue color.
Charles Dickens used blue ink, while Lewis Carroll gave preference to the purple one.
Charles Dickens used blue ink, while Lewis Carroll gave preference to the purple one.
3. Choosing The Most Effective Hours
They say that the most creative people work at night. But in fact, only some writer prefer night hours for working.
Franz Kafka was a night bird although he woke up early to go to his desk job. Vladimir Nabokov suffered from insomnia and used night hours for writing. George Orwell also worked at night.
On the contrary, Kurt Vonnegut, as well as Stephen King, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, and Anthony Trollope worked (some still are) in the morning hours.
Editor's note: Decide what's the best fit for you, night or day? Stick with one and make it a daily habit.
4. Setting Limits
Everyday writing is the most effective way to stay inspired. Yet, every writer sets his day limit of words or sentences.
For Jack London, this limit was 1,000 words, for Stephen King this limit is 2,000 words, William Golding wrote 3,000 words as minimal.
However, not all writers fought for the number of words. James Joyce believed that 2 sentences per day were a good result (!).
5. Standing Up or Lying Down
Lewis Carroll wrote his best novels standing up at the table. Ernest Hemingway also used this position for writing. Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf believed that standing helps them be more effective.
Unlike his colleagues, Mark Twain was kind of a lazy writer. He preferred to create his novels lying in this bed. He was not the only one to choose this method. George Orwell and Marcel Proust always worked lying in the bed. Contemporary screenwriter Woody Allen confesses that he also find inspiration only in horizontal position.
Editor's note: Try it all, find what's the most productive for you and stick with it.
Editor's note: Try it all, find what's the most productive for you and stick with it.
6. Using Vehicles
It is possible to imagine a novelist writing in a train or even a plane. But some writers chose seemingly uncomfortable vehicles as a workplace.
Vladimir Nabokov was particularly dedicated to writing in a car. He parked it and just seated inside it creating his novels. However, parked car seems to be a safe and rather a comfortable place comparing to a horse.
Walter Scott wrote his poetry on a horse! Joseph Heller did not write while driving although the best ideas came to his mind when he pushed the pedals of a bus.
7. Drinking Coffee
How many cups of coffee do you have daily? Perhaps, 3 or 4. Maybe, some of you have even up to 10.
Still, it is far from the result of Honoré de Balzac who drunk up to 50 cups of coffee daily! Of course, he took highly concentrated espresso, not a large latte or cappuccino that most of the writers drink today. Still, 50 cups of coffee are quite an impressive result.
He was not the only author who found inspiration in caffeine. Voltaire was another coffee-addicted writer with up to 40 cups per day.
Of course, not all of these inspiration methods would work for you. But perhaps they will open your eyes on your own habits and daily rituals that help you stay focused and motivated. You can also try to use some of them: perhaps, you will find out that the inspiration comes when you are writing in a car or you write better when you change your laptop to a piece of a blue paper!
Either way we hope this article was useful for you and your writing aspirations.
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