When you’re riding high on the current of inspiration and massive productivity, things often seem easy and effortless. So many times when I’m at the height of producing a novel or working on a big project of any sort, I can see the end goal in sight and it is so close that I can’t help but hit it with the momentum I have behind me.

HOWEVER….

there is a sea of waiting and hoping and I admit, irritability and self-questioning that comes in all the moments before and after hitting a goal: Now what? What’s next? Can I go through this process again and do it effectively or even better this time around? What did I learn from the last experience?

It can be frustrating and kind of debilitating even to think about. You pour all of this effort and joy into your book/project and ride the high until…..???? See what I mean?

In regard to writing, there’s some things I’ve found to inspire creativity when I get the itch to write during the many sleepless nights when I’m desperate to do something productive without the risk of waking up sleeping teenagers (scary, I know). Or on the endless snow days here in Wisconsin when I’m plowed in and it is the PERFECT writing environment and the only problem is I have nothing to write about!

So what do I do? A few things specific to the craft of writing:

1. I BINGE read! What do I read? ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING! I read thrillers that I can’t put down because I have to figure them out and see if I’m the great detective I believe I am when I’m reading one (ha)! I read romance novels. This helps me more than I give it credit for. I read for fun and it inspires me. Yes, I mark pages that I really get into and break down how the author drew me into the setting, plot or character, but mostly I just read for the fun of it!
2. For every “fun” book or two that I read, I read a book on the craft of writing. A few of the best ones are from Jane Cleland (mystery author) who is AMAZING at teaching plot and characterization, setting and mood. Stephen King also has a great book and it also gives insight into how he intertwines his childhood memories into his novels. I’m currently reading a “how-to” book from one of my new favorite authors, Nancy Pickard. Not only do these books give the how-tos, but it also gives inspiration and relatability when you read about their creative struggles and frustrations and how they got through them.
3. I plug into writing conferences and writing Zooms. Jane Cleland has some excellent writing Zooms that are FREE! A fellow author and myself had plugged into many of her Zooms in between books and it has made our writing so much more effective and fun to write. She offers these almost every month and they are so good, I have plugged into many of them several times.
4. I put myself in the environment of writing (coffee shops) BUT I don’t allow myself to write. I let the creative agitation build and percolate, thinking through things as I walk my dog or bike.
5. LASTLY, I start to research. I think of events or time periods in history that interest me, but I don’t know much about. I check out books from the RF Library (love that place) and I take notes. Like notebooks full of notes. The more I research and learn, the more I want to develop characters to place in these events to teach others about them in an entertaining way:)

SO, there you have it in a nutshell! I feel like this process can work with anything. Plugging in to people who started where you have and are now successful in what they do is inspiring. To find mentors who are successful AND willing to share how they got there and how they train? They’re diamonds.

So ride the wave of self-fulfillment in whatever endeavor you are accomplishing but don’t get deflated when you finish. You’ll find it’s usually not the finish you were after all along or maybe it was, but you found it was actually the process and the training you fell in love with, which is a good thing because that does not have an end to it:)