How to find writing inspiration

Inspiration is always one of the most fascinating topic for me: where does that magical spark come from? How can it suddenly turns you on and makes you forget about time, fatigue and the whole world around you? How can you keep it with you forever? But I guess these are widespread questions among writers. Every one of us has a different way of dealing with inspiration. Someone finds it in travelling, someone reading, someone else writing pages and pages knowing that sooner or later it will arrive and be entangled in lines like a bird in a gentle net. Obviously, there is not only one way, but I would like to share with you what I've learned about it. If I had to give a definition, I would say that inspiration is like a wild animal. Yes, a beautiful and maybe a bit shy wild animal living inside of us. There is no way to educate it, to force it or to give it orders because it would not obey. Let's imagine a beautiful fawn... Cold you immagine something more exciting? You have to caress it when it's near, call to it gently when it's far away and make sure that when it arrives, you will always find around what he loves and therefore has the desire to stay with you.

If you like my definition ( and I hope you do!) these are my personal tips: - Give up the thought of "searching inspiration": making an obsession of it will have the opposite effect. - Take care of your creative energies: draw, play, sing, cook and make this a habit. - Spend time in nature: inner harmony, inspirations and new visions can be found without any effort simply by spending time in nature. - Read books of poetry: nourishing your soul and spirit will bring miracles in your writings. - Use the power of colours and their silent energy: change your clothes or something around you, even a simple detail on your desk. - Renew the space around you: open your windows, declutter your room ( or only your desk), treat yourself to something new: pencils, notebooks, flowers or anything else you love to have in your creative world. Taking care of creative energies is a great habit for anyone, and I'm sure it can bring wonders in everybody's life. But there is nothing more important than finding, or maybe simple keeping, a deep connection to yourself. Spend time alone, meditate or simply be silent and listen… Just listen! Then you will see that inspiration, just like a beautiful fawn coming out of the forest of your thoughts, will come back to visit you.

Photo credits: Jim Cumming