I find it really hard to come up with topics to write about. In attempting to draw on my own life, I'm not really finding anything there. Which either means I'm not looking hard enough, or my life sucks ;P
So come on guys, any ideas for me? Anything at all. Even a random starting sentence. I'll make do with whatever I can. Desperate here. ;P
I need to practice my writing and write more often, so please help me. There's a short story competition in the newspaper of our city that's deadline is in June /Julyish, for high school students.
P.S. I'm really, really sick of writing in first person.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
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Ahh, lack of inspiration. That's a topic of it's own! We've all been there. Inspiration can come from anything...pick an object like a hammer, a piece of fruit, a car, a bookshelf or a dented can at the grocery store. What I do is try to maybe find parallels between that object and it's characteristics or history and maybe some emotions that I've recently encountered or even things I've experienced in the past.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I was in the lunch room the other day at work and saw a plate of fruit that was left over from a lunch meeting. Everything was gone off of the plate (vultures in the office tend to gobble up any free food - it doesn't linger long!) except for the garnish and one bruised strawberry. I stopped and pondered for a moment thinking how sad it was that the strawberry didn't get eaten. Kind of like me (or many of us) who feel neglected maybe, like a bruised piece of fruit. A little emo I know, but inspiration nonetheless!
The other thing you might consider is volunteer work. It can open up your eyes to a lot.
If you are sick of writing in first person you could always write something from another's perspective. Maybe a complete stranger (maybe try going to a public location and do some people watching). Sometimes I find it amusing to just make up stories about the strangers passing me by like they are characters in a novel or something.
Hope this helps.
~T
It's an old saying that all first novels are thinly disguised autobiographies. As an exercise, it's often really good to write about something that isn't so close to your own life. For example, I am currently working on a story narrated by a duck who dreams of running away to Cambodia. I think you should have a shot at something based in another historical period. The research, and the constraints placed on you will be good practice. Whatever you do, keep at it.
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