Ten Ways to Fill Your Creative Writing Well
(c) 2011
Catherine Castle
- Visit nature. The peaceful surroundings of a park or the serenity of a lake are great ways to unwind and let your mind relax. When we’re not so uptight our creativity flows better.
- Take a long bubble bath. Surround the tub with lit candles, lock the door so the family can’t get in, and let your mind wander.
- Read a book by an author you love. Take time to figure out what he or she does in writing that captures you so. Can you do that same thing in your own writing?
- Get your favorite movie and watch it, dissecting it as you go. What keeps you spellbound? How does the author tie all the sub plots together? How can you use those same tools to make your work better?
- Meditate on your writing. Find a quiet spot and just think about your stories. Daydream to your heart’s content about the characters. What can you do to put them in more trouble? What can you do to make them more sympathetic to the reader? What can you do to let them tell you where the story should go?
- Free write. Just start writing about one of your characters or the story in general. Don’t lift your pen from the page until it is filled. Nothing that spills from your pen is right or wrong, just subconscious information about the character or story.
- Brainstorm with another writer about your story. Two heads are always better than one. Three heads are even better. Don’t discount anything anyone says in this session. Just write it down for consideration later.
- Stuck for an idea? Read your Writer’s Market to come up with ideas. See what editors are looking for. My devotional book that I’m working on now came from doing this.
- Read a writer’s magazine. You never know when an article or story is going to inspire you with a new idea or new direction.
- Write an article for your blog, someone else’s blog or a newsletter. The challenge of coming up with something new every week forces you to think creatively!
Do you have some special ways you use to refill your creative well? I’d love to know what they are.
Catherine Castle 
Something that works for me when I’m stuck in my writing is to do something physical: go for a walk, scrub the bathtub, anything that gets me moving. Some of my best ideas have come to me when I’m vacuuming or weeding my Mom’s garden. Another way to fill my creative writing well.
Gardening works for me too, Pat. Thanks for stopping by
I love all of these, Catherine! by my favorite is number one…that works best for me. when the ideas dry up I drive to the nearby lake or park or anywhere with an inspiring view. when I’m viewing God’s beautiful handiwork in nature, the ideas once again start to flow…
by the way, I love your photo of the art gallery on your homepage! talk about inspiraton! beautiful. best regards with your new website.
Thanks for the lovely comments, Mary Ellis. Nature is always inspiring for me too, especially when I’m in the garden. My garden has been a source of stress relief, joy and inspiration. It’s why I wrote my gardening devotional, Lessons for Nature. I’ll be psting an excerpt from that book as the website keeps growing.