Finding inspiration

One of my biggest problems, being a writer, and trying to make a living from it, is finding inspiration. It is one of those elusive things that I manage to grab hold of infrequently. The trouble is, I don't have the luxury of being able to sit around waiting for those light bulb moments. If I'm hoping to earn money at what I do, I just have to keep plugging away.

So what do writers do to find inspiration? Well, I suppose what I'm talking about, really, is how to avoid writer's block. There is a school of thought (one that all my creative writing lecturers subscribed to) that says there is no such thing as writer's block. Those who believe this think you should just pick up your pen/open your laptop/boot up word and write. This one doesn't work for me I have to say. I find the flashing icon on a word document or the open expanse of a blank white page too intimidating, so much so that I will avoid it. 

My favourite practice is to read some poetry or short extracts of writing to give me a push. This can be slightly dangerous as the result can serve one of two purposes. Either it inspires me and motivates me to try and harness my creativity, or (and this is the pitfall) it makes me feel as though there is no way I could produce writing of the quality I have just read. Typically this happens when I read poetry. There are so many amazing poets out there who seem to have a firm grasp of their craft and insights that I could never achieve. 

However, I have found a new mode of pinning down inspiration. Unfortunately it only comes around once every four years, Brigadoon style, but nevertheless serves its purpose well. Yes, I'm talking about the Olympics. Last night I watched the diving and it astounded me to think that the young women who were competing in this sport, must spend hours and hours every day of every week climbing the steps to the diving board, executing a dive and getting out of the pool over and over and over again for the chance to get to the Olympics and compete in a diving competition where they are judged on less than 2 seconds of action. Imagine the amount of effort, dedication and focus you must have to have to set your sights on perfecting just a period of 2 seconds during which you jump from the board, do your thing mid-air and then enter the water. Hours, days, weeks, months, even years perfecting every twist, every tuck and every nuance of movement, and it's over in a flash.

When I compare this to writing, it seems that writers have such a greater advantage. Yes, we similarly have to hone our output. Like a diver who plugs away at perfecting their movement, a writer must strive to tweak their work to make it the best that they can. But the point is, that writer's have the bonus of being able to go over their work. Unlike a dive or a race or a gymnastics routine, the work isn't over in a flash, it exists and can be re-visited time and time again. And at the end of it, writers have a piece of work that can be read and re-read, re-experienced, re-worked. An athlete, though they have the benefit of video replays, can never go back and tweak that bit where they could have made up two tenths of a point. 

I might be overdoing the analogy, but I find the dedication of these athletes tremendously inspiring. If they can spend the amount of time they do on their craft in order to attain achievement, then surely I can face a blank screen today. Surely I can churn out a few thousand words. Hmm, yes. But maybe I'll just watch the four men cycling pursuit first!