IDEAS | GROWTH | WRITING

Nuggets of Inspiration to Get Any Writer “Unstuck”

We’ve all been there… just don’t STAY there

You’ve started writing on Medium. You’re busy crafting that next novel. You’re growing your business. Things are good.

Until the day when the doubt creeps in. The times the claps dwindle. The random days when the fire is just a flicker.

You’re human. It happens.

There will be days of Fighting Procrastination, Searching for Inspiration, and even the BIG one — “Am I really a writer, or am I kidding myself?”

For these sadly unavoidable moments, the key is to have an Arsenal of Inspiration nearby — a collection of quick-grab books, quotes, thoughts, even YouTube videos or favorite playlists designed to re-inspire, to encourage, to call you on your shit and to get you through that one rough day… to write again.

Here are some of my favorites to have on stand-by, ready to serve:

Art Matters by Neil Gaiman

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Steal Like An Artist, Share Your Work! and Keep Going by Austin Kleon

Wild Words by Nicole Gulotta

Writing Down to the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

And for a deeper dive, The Artists Way by Julia Cameron

Whoa, that looks like a lot of reading. Happily, I’m here to provide you with One Quote from each book — a sort of tempting sample, a little morsel.

With so much inspiration it won’t be easy, but I’ll try. Here we go.

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.” — Neil Gaiman, Art Matters

“That’s writing. Once you’re deep into it, you wonder what took you so long to finally settle down at the desk.” — Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down to the Bones

“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writer’s don’t: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.” — Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again. If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing… Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.” — Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist

“The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others… Talk about things you love. Your voice will follow.” — Austin Kleon, Show Your Work!

“Creativity is about connection… but it is also about disconnection. You must retreat from the world long enough to think, practice your art, and bring forth something worth sharing with others…. ” — Austin Kleon, Keep Going

“When we’re struggling with our work, we’re often caught up in what everyone else is doing, what’s been done. That makes it hard to create, to listen in… Once I stopped checking Instagram so much and reminded myself I’m the only one who can tell my story, it became easier. “ — Nicole Gulotta, Wild Words

“Shitty first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.” — Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

“When we say we can’t do something, what we mean is that we won’t do something unless we can guarantee that we’ll do it perfectly.” — Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

Whoa… mind-blowing stuff, eh?

Some are inspirational, some are tough love and some will call you on your crap, but do it, set yourself up for success with an Inspiration Station, a Bliss Station, an Arsenal of Inspiration — and don’t forget to add music.

I’ll leave you with this.

I was a blocked creative. A born writer who’d been tricked as a young man into silencing my authentic voice because it interfered in what parents, teachers, church and society wanted me to be, wanted me to say.

I was visiting a friend in Portland in my early 30s and I saw this Marianne Williamson quote on his refrigerator… and I got a lump in my throat and almost started crying. (I am not a cryer, or I at least wasn’t then). But it reached into my soul and hit me emotionally because it called out where I was most stuck, and that I’d been hiding, to please others.

Many of you will have heard it before, but it bears repeating if you’re stuck:

“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.”

Yep, she called me out. And now I’m ready to share my authentic self.

The world is waiting for your unique voice.

Keep inspiration nearby, and hop to it!

© Joe Guay, 2023

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