I always encourage the women of the See Jane Write community to write down 10 ideas every day.
In the foreword to the book Become an Idea Machine, James Altucher says this is one of the best ways to boost your creativity. By brainstorming ideas daily you’re exercising your creativity muscles.
Here are 10 things you can do to keep your muse moving.
1. Read, read, read. Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” So read everything. Read things in and outside of your genre. Read fiction, poetry, non-fiction, the news, comic books, and graphic novels.
2. Scroll social media. Use social media to get in tune with what’s trending in pop culture and news and use that for inspiration.
3. Consider your life stage. What’s going on in your life right now? Are you changing jobs? Ending or starting a relationship? Taking care of a baby or an ailing family member?
4. What keeps you up at night? Most likely someone else awake at night pondering the same things. So, write about them so others don’t feel alone.
5. What are you currently obsessing over? Write something to show everyone else why they should be obsessing over this too.
6. What are you currently watching, reading, and listening to? Draw inspiration from these things.
7. Listen and look around. Go to a public place to eavesdrop and people watch.
8. Return to nature. Spend time at a park, beach, or garden and let mother nature inspire you.
9. Try something new and write about the experience.
10. Learn something new and write about how this new knowledge shifted your perspective.
What do you do to spark ideas?