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Inspired to Write
Not magic at all
Inspiration is literally the act of “breathing in,” but it is indeed harder in a figurative sense than just breathing. When I am uninspired, writing is drudgery, squeezed out of me by force, mechanical instead of flowing and joyful. There is no magic “fairy dust” that gets my pen or keyboard strokes flowing, but I find that a number of simple activities can help me.
GET MOVING
One way to be literally filled with “breath” is to get moving. For some, that may mean swimming, running, or bike riding. For me, it has especially meant walking, whether at a brisk pace or a more leisurely one.
I have written previously on the advantages of walking: clearing the mind and helping me to breathe and refocus, at the same time stimulating my senses with what I see, hear, smell, and imagine.
GET IN TOUCH WITH NATURE
Contact with nature has inspired creatives at least since the Psalms of Biblical times, and probably longer. Bodies of water are especially known for their power to calm the mind; they cause us to be awed by their immensity and power. Mountains and hills, I find, lift my heart upward, not only…
