A brief discussion on writing rituals and inspiration
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A classmate of Writing Class once asked me this question: “Teacher, when do you feel most inspired to write(https://www.contenthacker.today/2018/09/build-a-inspiration-database.html)?”
Honestly, I think writing is a very personal thing. Therefore, in fact, everyone’s situation is different and cannot be treated as the same.
Having said that, if you are a night owl, then of course you are most likely to write wonderful chapters in the dead of night. But if you are a morning person, it is natural that it is easiest to see inspiration knocking on your door in the early morning, and it is also the best time to write in the early morning!
I have written an article before to help you sort out six ways to collect inspiration:
- Observe the slogans or promotional copy of other manufacturers: It is always a good way to refer to and learn from other people’s practices. Of course, it is not a direct plagiarism, but a way of learning and innovating.
- Visit convenience stores and hypermarkets: I often encourage everyone to go to convenience stores or hypermarkets when you have nothing to do. This is not to encourage everyone to consume, but the pulse of these fields is very fast. If you observe carefully, you can see many interesting new things.
- Make good use of keywords such as “how” and “now”: I often lead everyone to play the “sentence making” game in the copywriting class, and encourage students to think from the perspective of the target audience (TA) and start by solving the problems of the target audience (TA).
- Watch TV, movies, newspapers or magazines when you have time: Although everyone is now accustomed to obtaining information on the Internet, TV, newspapers and magazines are still important media, and there is also a lot of information that may not be published on the Internet, which deserves our attention.
- Find other friends to brainstorm together: Sometimes, we rack our brains and can’t come up with any good ideas. At this time, we might as well discuss with colleagues and friends!
- Take a break: Well, if you really can’t come up with a specific plan, don’t be too reluctant. Why not just take a break and relax for a while? I like to walk and observe the people and the pulse of everyone’s lives while walking.
In addition to the above six methods, I will share with you three of my daily writing habits:
- Organize my own inspiration database: Usually if I see interesting news or information, I will record it in my own database (as for recording with pen and paper, or using digital tools). If you see a good article on Facebook, it will be added to the collection project. But it’s not just a collection. I will review this information from time to time, find the parts that touch me, and then write a complete article.
- Make good use of Google Helper: I once saw a statistic that said that as many as 93% of netizens are used to searching for information online. But in addition to loving Google, I also often search for information through Google News or Google Alerts, and I can even get some inspiration from them.
- Review the articles I have written from time to time: Taking the operation of the “[Content Hacker] (https://www.contenthacker.today/)” website as an example, I will from time to time review the 400 to 500 articles I have written in the past by searching for keywords, and think about which articles’ ideas are worthy of further development, or what information needs to be updated or supplemented.
In fact, from my point of view, professional writers should not rely too much on inspiration. However, if you need inspiration, I have a suggestion: in addition to continuously improving your writing skills, you can also strengthen your writing motivation by establishing a sense of ritual. To put it simply, through a series of preparations or adjustments, you can quickly enter a state of concentration and devote yourself wholeheartedly to a certain thing.
The well-known writer Simone de Beauvoir has her own writing ritual: “I start with drinking tea. At about ten o’clock, I will start working until one o’clock in the afternoon, and then meet friends. At five o’clock, I will go back to work until nine o’clock. In the afternoon, clearing my mind is not a problem for me.”
And Stephen. Stephen King is used to doing these things repeatedly every day: he must take vitamins at a fixed seat from 8 to 8:30 every morning, listen to the music he chooses, and then start to organize the manuscript.
Through the establishment of writing rituals, you can naturally find a writing style that suits you; relatively speaking, it is easier to get inspiration. If you are interested, you can click here to refer to more authors’ writing rituals and habits.
Speaking for myself, I used to have to find a secluded corner to start writing, but now as long as I have a seat, I can adjust my mood at any time, turn on my laptop and start writing. Therefore, the entire city is not only my cafe, but now even the convenience store can also be my office…
I still remember that one time when I was writing an article in a convenience store, I happened to meet the artist Zhong Xinling and her little daughter. As a result, I was playing on the computer and entertaining the children. Well, it seems a bit far-fetched. In fact, what I want to express is that everyone can establish their own writing ritual: for example, some people like to listen to music while writing, while others have to make a cup of coffee before they can think…
Overall, if you want to improve your writing efficiency, it is recommended to first examine your usual writing habits, and then think about whether there are better methods and processes that are worthy of reference. Of course, you are welcome to discuss with me at any time!
★ Featured Image Source: Unsplash
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Further reading
- Observation techniques: finding inspiration in casual details
- How to collect inspiration for writing? Please do this with me
- How to seize fragmented time for writing
☕️ Invite Vista to have a cup of coffee
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