By Luise Werner

Image Credit: James Round

If you are undergoing creative struggles, here are five tips on how to potentially solve them. 

I. Read – No matter what the book, whether it’s a bestseller or not, good or bad, its perspective can inspire you. Everyone owns at least one book and if you don’t, buy one – now! Or go to the library. Pick one, sit down, and read. Even the smallest bit can inspire you. Make something come to life or let it die. Have a book vanish or have one appear mysteriously. Make animals talk or make university compulsory. Pick what you love or hate about that book, and take it from there. 

II. Take a break – There is no point in getting frustrated, you’ve done enough. Take a break, rest, and have fun. You can continue later. Instead, talk to your flatmates, phone your family or meet with your friends. Maybe they will even inspire you. Unless you’re planning on having a really frustrated, moody, bitchy character. If so, get writing immediately and let out that anger. Don’t stop. You can edit everything later. 

III. Walk – A change of scenery is always good. The longer the walk, the better. You might need that exercise anyway. Maybe you even see something that inspires you. The thief you dreamed of, the endlessly arguing couple, or the elderly person who tells you their life story. They all exist, you just need to listen to and find them. And if you don’t, write about how boring your walk was and what you would have liked to have seen. 

IV. Search the internet – What for? Up to you. After all, it’s your work. Simply make use of the World Wide Web. Whether it’s social media on the latest celebrity updates, your kindergarten friends, or the memory span of an elephant. Watch something on YouTube. There are enough things to talk about, good and bad. Make your character a blogger, a nerd with a love for facts, or a shopaholic. Everything is possible. The internet has no borders. Or if it does, write about that. 

V. Write about yourself – Everyone is interesting, whether you’re introverted or extroverted, whether you know people or not. Write who you are and/or who you want to be. Make that dream of yours a reality. Can’t stand people? Let another species take over. Write about not knowing what to write about and make it a frustrating life piece. Tell people how unlucky you are, how you don’t get what you desire, or how you don’t know what you want because you have everything. Relationships, friends, gossip, fiction, politics, everything can work. It just depends on your interests. 

You’ve tried everything and still can’t think of anything? Make that short break a long one and find a different field of interest. You’re not letting yourself be creative or just genuinely aren’t a creative person. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not for you. Let it go. Let it be.