Inspiration Doldrums? Beating the Dead Calm Effect
You’ve all experienced it; your normally churning sea of inspiration is now an ominous dead calm, and your mind bobs aimlessly on the surface of your task list.
The waves dont wave, and the winds don’t wind. The pressure rises, forcing you to slog against its oppressive, humid weight.
A near panicked voice cries out from below. “Blog, dammit, BLOG!” as if its very life (and yours) depends upon your ability to put words into pixels… or whatever form of creative torture you subscribe to.
I’m having one of those afternoons.
It’s been 2 days since my last post, putting me over my self imposed limit on blog silence. The stack of drafts and topics and nudge-notes in the sidebar of Live Writer glowers at me threateningly, but nothing, NOTHING is inspiring me.
If I’m not inspired, my writing isn’t inspired.
If my writing isn’t inspired, it’s dull… and drumish, too, I guess, in the sense of repetitive beatings more in line with a first year band student than an inspired rock solo.
I refuse to dilute a potentially brilliant post with a drumming dullness. So what is a poor blogger to do?
Pick up the oars and row.
Force yourself into action/motion. Stop waiting for inspiration and meaningfulness to strike with hurricane force , and become your own headwind.
Don’t think too hard on what to do… The direction isn’t nearly as important as motion itself. Free write. Use creative nudges. Try the 10+2 Procrastination Hack.
Or my own personal favorite?
Do Something Else.
And that is precisely what I’m going to do. Stand up, step away from the keyboard, pick up my oars, and go ElseWhere. I’m not even going to stop to add links or a pretty picture of a boat to this post. I’m just going to chart a new course, and head for the horizon.
In this case, ElseWhere is probably the local Walmart.
While I’m braving the horrors of the Big Blue Box, have you got your own methods of breaking the Dead Calm Effect? I’d appreciate hearing them!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
In a dull funk and feeling uncreative with words, I read quotes. Quotes are one thing that get my mind moving back into a creative place.
These past few days my mind is constipated with thoughts of a past I would rather forget. So, until I wade through this not so funky time, I will be silently and read quotes until it passes. Then blogging will continue.
Sending you smiles and strength to get through the week!
Hey Jackie : ) I can see how quotes might give a fresh perspective without being overwhelming - I try not to over indulge in them, but it’s fun to fit them to posts when I cant think of anything else as a “tweak”.. and then there are the rotating ones in the header. I may wind up some of the MindTweaks that close the posts to them — that could be fun!
If I at all can, I free write. I start whatever sentence jumps into my head and see if I can develop enough momentum to finish it. Usually that sentence will inspire the next. If I bog down in this method, I will often take a short break to do something utterly mindless (like laundry) and let my subconscious take a whack at it for a while.
(OMG…. It’s Brent. Brent commented on MY blog. I.. I.. I’m overwhelmed. I feel faint. Wait, maybe I’m just dizzy from the overdose of plaid…)
Er… I mean…
Freewrites rock.
[...] there I was, stuck in the inspiration doldrums, without a single creative wind stirring the sails. Anchored by my own lack of creative [...]