How do I begin?

The life of a writer is an inconvenient one. Many occasions in my life I have been wandering around, speaking with friends or even sleeping and I am awoken to a story stirring in my mind. There is nothing greater than inspiration that springs haphazardly out of life, however those who really embody writing know that at some point we all get writer's block. So how do we quit the frustration and begin?

Firstly I must begin by saying that writers just like artists are perfectionists at least to some degree. We can produce work time and time again and we will always return to it with further edits, never in a way happy with the final product. In some ways this makes us successful in our jobs and in others highly unproductive. To me perfectionism and one other thing, life, gets in the way of beginning writing. 

Life as we know it has it's ups and downs and whether we choose to recognise it or not it impacts on our ability to get the creative juices flowing. Whilst anger, jealousy, hatred and revenge have no doubt assisted people to write about such topics, harbouring that in your own life makes solving the climax to stories difficult and focussing properly almost impossible. Similarly unresolved issues can produce some ideas for stories however unless your prepared to become bare throughout the course of a story or expose those you got your inspiration from you'll end up in a writing rut. 

So how do you stop this? Writing doesn't always have to be about producing a literary artwork it can be writing for writing's sake. It has long been identified that writing about how you feel will enhance your current mood and situation. So why not begin by writing about how you got into the rut, why your frustrated and what you want to achieve. You might be surprised how the writing randomly turns up. Secondly, this is the best piece of advice I have ever received (I'll be honest I didn't believe in it at first because I thought it would kill the creativity in my stories); write everyday. Do not include work (if you aren't currently paid as a writer). Write a journal, write jokes, write lunchbox notes for your loved ones, bring back the art of letter writing, describe a setting. Just write. If you still struggle I recommend this:

Change your routine. Writers get used to a routine, their go to places for inspiration- which leaves their work sometimes stagnant and boring. So go somewhere different. Write in a different place or take yourself somewhere where the sounds in the environment can be what you begin to describe. Soon you'll be writing something. 

Most importantly though do not decide to stop writing if you are in a rut and cannot begin. Do not assume that you are no longer a writer. Do not give up. Failure is merely a subject created by you. 

Good luck with the writing,

Jules xo