Yesterday I provided you with the content of the little talk I led at the UK GLBT meet 2011. Since then I’ve been updated with all the brilliant suggestions other writers offered when I asked and there’s some crackers! I’m going to list them all here and I will attribute them to their clever inventors when I can do so. If I’ve got your little gem of inspiration here and I don’t have your name by it, just let me know and I’ll correct that!

Okay, here we go Thanks to Jenre for her list of ideas offered on the day!.

Part 1:

Prompts/Random words/Tarot Cards

This is about finding inspiration by kick starting it with the use of words.

Charlie Cochrane and Jo Myles Suggested these things

Research something

Look up some info you might need for later on in your story, so you’re working on your opus but you’re not having to write.

Explaining the plot

Erastes is to thank for this idea: Talk to a person, talk to yourself or even to your cat! Tell them the plot then you’ll be able to write it yourself.

Taking a nap/day dream

Have a nap as you may get dream inspiration of not you’ll be rested anyway. Also Daydreaming is always a good thing for Authors to do!

Serena Yates suggested this

Email other authors

Fellow authors are brilliant. When you’re stuck email an author friend or three and ask for help!

Read something else

Clare London and Bruin Fisher gave us these ideas: Read either your own work to remind yourself you *CAN* write or read something completely different just to have a break and find inspiration! You may find something to aspire to or you may find that you think to yourself ‘I can write better than that’ it’s all good stuff!

Copyedit what you’ve already written

Edit. Again you’re working but you’re not writing. If you’re anything like me you’ll soon be willing to do anything in preference to actually editing your work!

Write your synopsis or blurb

Writing your synopsis and/or blurb will focus you in on what you really want to get out of your story and may help you get over the plot hole you’re struggling with.

Have a good Perv

Suggestion from Lucy Felthouse: Lucy Felthouse suggested watching something on the telly for inspiration, I do believe she suggested watching something to ‘perv’ over.

Look at images of your characters

Suggestion by Jay Rockwood: Have pictures/photos by your computer of what your characters look like.

Part 2:

Clean the house

Clean! I said you can tell when I am blocked, my house sparkles! But housework is exercixe and it’s monotony frees your mind to think. You may just get the inspiration you need.

Play brain games

we need to keep our minds sharp so play games online or do the crossword and Sudoku puzzle in your newspaper!

Break that routine

Do Something different! Give yourself a break.

Use sites like ‘write or die’

Apparently WriteorDie will yell at you until you hit your word target. This scares me, it might help you though!

Take part in Nanowrimo

NaNoWriMo happens in November but it sets you the target of writing fifty thousand words in a month. It’s amazing what that motivation to get your winner widget can do you know!

Stick to the same routine

If you make a regular time to write every day you’ll get into the routine of writing. That’s the theory anyway.

Interview the character

Interview your Character. They are there in your head anyway, ask them what will happen next!

Suggested by Jo Myles.

Change the P.O.V

Try a different character’s Point of View. It may be you need to change who narrates the scene or it might just be you see something differently that gets you over the block and you can continue writing under the same Character. Ooo Errr.

Use word counters

Suggested by the lovely Lucy Felthouse: Track your progress with a little ‘bar’ widget to give you motivation.

Personify your muse

Another great idea from Jo Myles: Visualise your muse and ask him/her what the flippin’ heck happens next!!