Finding Inspiration this Springtime
Spring: the perfect time for revitalising creativity
Spring is here! At least, it is in the northern hemisphere, and, according to the scions of social media and the internet, it's the perfect time to get your writing mojo back, assuming you had lost it a little during the dreary days of the winter. So if, like me, you feel a surge of springtime energy boosted by the songs of nesting birds and the sight of daffodils and crocuses popping up by the roadside, here are some ideas to get the words flowing.
Go Outside!
Seriously, unless it’s pouring with rain and blowing a tempest, which in March is not always unlikely, get out there! Chances are you’ve been spending a lot of the winter indoors because of the short days and the cold, and because you work indoors and most of your waking hours are spent at work…I would say the traditional ‘look at the flowers, listen to the birds, feel the sunshine’ and all that is great, but I found myself taking a fresh look at the urban landscape around me, noticing interesting little features in buildings that for years I’ve walked past and barely noticed.
I found more churches in Strood than I had ever realised were there (and I now have the urge to speculate why and where these all came from); odd little houses in Gillingham which once had been pubs; little architectural features in the buildings where shops are located in Chatham, a place run down and yet still clinging to its history; a new housing estate built into the shell of an ancient hospital whose traces can still be found in the fabric of the building. And all these places, noticed more now in the fresh light of a spring afternoon, tell stories all of their own if you let yourself notice them.
I could restate the cliche of ‘take a notebook and write down what you see, hear, smell and feel so you can make your writing more vivid’. All good advice, of course. But these days I find it more effective just to soak it all in and take a couple of snapshots on my phone. A glance at those even months later will bring it all back to me and I found writing from my emotional response is more effective in bringing me inspiration than jotting down notes when on a springtime walk.
Think About Fresh Starts
Spring is all about new beginnings. Perhaps you are looking for an idea for a new piece of writing or just need a refresh for your characters. It’s useful to take that sense of the fresh start that spring can give us, that instinct that all mammals carry in their blood for emerging from winter refreshed and ready to start again, and channel that energy into your creative work. Maybe your characters need to face some changes, or perhaps they need to front up their big challenges in a new way to come out stronger.
Most of all, ask yourself, what kind of story are you in the mood for? Chances are you will find a readership that is in a similar frame of mind.
Tidy Up Your Ideas
I hate housework and spring cleaning is my annual drudge but very necessary. That sense of clearing out clutter, clearing space and letting in fresh air and bright light is vital for my personal sense of motivation. So, in a similar way, I like to give my writing projects a good tidy up. Starting with my desk (it doesn’t stay tidy for long but at least I create a fresh sense of order), and moving on to my various writing projects, which I like to organise and prioritise.
I work in quarters so towards the end of the first quarter of the year, as spring takes over from winter, I like to review where I am with my projects, decide what I want to work on next or what I want to make my priority project and organise my work and my thoughts to move that on in the second quarter. You may well work differently, but spring, as we enter a new season, if often a good marking point for a review and refresh.
I also like to use a couple of weeks in March to make some plans for new projects or to review the outline plans for current projects. In my little writing world, no planning tends to mean no doing, so an outline plan for a project is the perfect way to spring into summer.
Try Something Wild
Spring is the perfect time to experiment! It’s when breaking out of the comfort zone feels less risky, or you feel the courage brought about by the warmer weather and shake off the fear that always seems to lurk around the edges of our creativity. If you only write non-fiction, break into poetry. If you tend to write in the third person, try immersing yourself in a character in the first person. Or try a new genre. Above all, have some fun with it!
Celebrate the Wins
If anything, spring feels like a time to celebrate. We’ve got through another winter, the sun is still shining (at least occasionally) and life often feels just that little bit more positive. It’s a good time to acknowledge and celebrate any small achievements that have been earned along the way. Just finishing a chapter is good enough to crack open the cava as far as I’m concerned. Or getting the kettle on once I get to the word count I wanted.
As writers we spend enough time worrying about whether we can, whether we should, whether we’re good enough. As soon as you have that first draft written, you can tell yourself you are good enough, celebrate and then let the energy of spring fuel the next step in the creative journey!
Spring in Strood, Kent. A little colourful corner in an urban landscape that is interesting enough to write reams about!