Sometimes, no matter how much brainstorming and planning I do, I just can’t seem to come up with anything good to write, whether it’s for a paper or for this blog. Well, after a couple of hours of trying to brainstorm for both this blog and an ID1 paper I have to write this weekend, I realized that inspiration doesn’t always come from thinking about stuff related to the work you have to do. Sometimes, you just have to relax your mind and just let the ideas come. So, here are my tips for finding inspiration:
1. Go to a café: Whether you’re a café person or not, going to a café is always an interesting experience. Different ones give you different experiences, too! I can definitely tell you that going to the Starbucks in The Village is totally different from going to the Motley in Scripps, and not just because of the drinks they serve. Cafés are always warm, so they give you a chance to just let the icy stiffness that was forming around your brain just melt away. The intellectual (or at least entertaining) conversations you’ll overhear are bound to enlighten you a bit. And if all fails, you can just search in the foam of your latte for secret messages from the universe on what your thesis should be!
2. Take a walk: Maybe the fresh air will clear your mind and let the traffic jam of ideas in your mind resume a nice flow. Maybe the nature will evoke feelings of serenity and calmness that will just let eloquent words tumble from your mouth onto your paper. Or maybe the confrontation between humans and zombies on Marston Quad will make you realize that life is fleeting, making you end up writing your paper on something about the shortness of life while trying to slip an HvZ reference in there.
3. Listen to music: If you have a lot on your mind that has nothing to do with your assignment, music could help you get it out by just translating your thoughts into perfectly crafted phrases in rhythm, thus clearing your mind up to think about your assignment. Maybe the lyrics of a song could even help you see something in a totally new way, thus sparking ideas for an assignment! Be careful though; I wouldn’t advise trying to write an ID1 paper on how the story of Pride and Prejudice can be told entirely through Taylor Swift songs.
4. Take a nap: Okay, so this one could be counterintuitive because you might be one of those people (cough cough like myself cough) who go to sleep, intending to only take a 15-minute nap, but end up continually extending your alarm by 15 minutes until you will have ended up sleeping for 8 hours. If this does happen to you though, I suggest you don’t sleep that night since you pretty much just had a full night’s sleep (or two, for some people).
So those are my tips to get your mojo back and get your writing on if you encounter writer’s block or you just feel your brain turning to mush. Either way, happy writing!