There’s a world of creative writing ideas in your hand.
Please welcome freelance writer Matthew Erickson with his guest post about getting up, getting out, and getting inspired.
It’s easy for writers to lock themselves away from the rest of the world in order to get creative. However, getting out and exploring the world is great fodder for the creative mind. If you are having trouble tapping into your creative flow in the comfort and safety of your own home, try changing it up a bit by getting up and getting out in order to let new places, people, and things inspire you.
Being a writer myself, I have a tendency to be a bit of a homebody. There is nothing wrong with that since one of the perks of the job is making a living without getting out of my robe and slippers. However, spending every waking hour inside wearing my skivvies and staring at a computer screen day after day, week after week, is bad for both my physical and creative health. It is also a total waste of my investment in a laptop.
Sure, writers need their lairs, secret hidey holes in which to hatch their master plots onto the unsuspecting world. However, in order to find new creative ideas or to simply get the creative juices flowing, it is important that writers make an effort to get out there at least once in a while and see what the whole wide world has to offer.
Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Get Out:
1. Change of Scenery Stimulates the Mind
Staring at the same wall or out the same window all day long will do nothing to cultivate new ideas after about a week of doing it. A change of environment will have profound effects on your creativity, allowing you to see creative problems from different angles or to rouse new ideas. Changing the scenery is a great way to access new creative stimuli for your mind and help you feel a whole lot less like a goldfish swimming in the same old bowl.
2. It Gets Your Creative Juices Flowing
Getting out of the house and going somewhere gets your creative juices flowing. You might not realize it, but creativity is intricately linked to your brain’s ability to fire creative nerve synapses. Sometimes, it is not the destination but the journey that will bring you to your muse. For example, in order to write this little article, I decided to take off my robe, put on some shorts and shoes and take a bike ride to a café across town. It turned out the bike ride was exactly the thing I needed in order to get my blood pumping to the creative side of my brain, allowing me to come up with a way in which to approach this article. Plus, I probably burned off at least half of that panini sandwich that I ate for lunch.
3. Different Places Equal Different Faces
Sometimes it is not what you see on your creative outings, but whom you meet. You might run into an old friend and find yourself digging up past experiences to use in a story idea. You might meet someone new who’s full of fresh and inspiring thoughts. You might even accidently eavesdrop on two college girls at the table next to you, talking about how great the Justin Bieber movie is and wind up coming up with a great idea for a comedic skit. Hey, if it can happen to me, it can happen to you.
4. Getting Into Situations
Creative people have always gone out into the world, getting into situations and then writing about them. Whether it is going on a little adventure, getting into and out of trouble, or helping a stranger push their stalled car out of traffic, it is these experiences in life, these situations that we all experience, which make life worth living and writing about. So, venture boldly into the world and welcome a little trouble into your life (but not too much). Get yourself into a few situations and find something to write about.
These are just four of an endless number of excuses to grab your laptop, your notebook, or simply your open mind and head outside. Embrace your human nature, go exploring, and discover new creative writing ideas in the world around you.
About the Author: Matthew Erickson is a freelance writer who is constantly looking for a new and better muse trap. He has already uncovered over 170 ways to capture creativity, which can be found at Musesland.com.
“There is a world of creative writing ideas in your hand”. So true, if you just know how to make the most out of your experiences then you will never run out of things to write about. Life is so beautiful, we can always find inspiration anytime and anywhere if we just open up our hearts and minds 🙂 Different settings, different people, and different experiences can truly inspire writers to put those feelings and thoughts into words.
So true, Shyxter. This post is an excellent reminder that ideas are out there just waiting to be discovered. No excuses (like writer’s block)!
Please, make sure that my email is not published, or else…(just wondering why email is asked)
Neuropsyche point of view; all senses work together. I strongly agree with you based on what I have studied and observed. And don’t forget to get up and walk around every hour to prevent blood clots.
The email field is standard in blog comments, but email addresses are not published. This is part of the software build, so you’ll see it on just about every blog.
I agree. It’s easy to become a homebody when you’re writing. Getting out is so good for so many reasons!
Yes, the reasons are infinite. Inspiration is one reason to get out, but it’s also good for your health. Exercise and fresh air do wonders for clear thinking and creativity!
I agree that getting out for a while is also good for one’s health. I’ve had some health problems before because I spent so much of my time sitting in front of my laptop. As a writer, you could really just work in your pajamas and stay at home the whole day writing, without even noticing the time. But the body also needs some activity that enables good muscle stretching and blood circulation. After what I experienced, I make it a point to go out of the house once in a while for some fresh air, physical activity, or interaction with people. These outside activities have resulted to more creative discoveries, discoveries that are transformed into wonderful writing ideas 🙂 So when I get home, I feel so refreshed and my mind has so many things to say and write about.
I couldn’t agree more. I find that daily exercise makes a huge difference, especially with problems that arise from sitting (neck and back stiffness, for example). And getting the blood pumping with a bit of cardio definitely boosts clear thinking and creativity!
I totally agree with Matthew…
Changing the settings is often the best way I have to get a fresh perspectice and come up with new ideas …. it is the best way I have to change my mind frame… although i often find out that when I am going over and over the same ideas… i need to consciously stop thinking about them… because otherwise,,, no matter where i am… i am still thinking about the same… but changing the settings is what helps me the most….
Yes, changing your scenery helps a lot when you’re stuck in spin cycle. If I’m really stuck on something, like a plot point, sometimes I simply need to walk away from it for awhile. I use that time to develop character sketches and other ideas.