Inspiration, at long last.

Author: Anonymous /

Glen Spratt --

When I was asked to write on this topic I was stumped for a time. I struggled to grasp what it was I was actually inspired by. How could I tell other authors how to be inspired when I could not tell myself.
So began a three month hiatus to what was to be brilliant and highly enthusiastically supported blog by myself and Adam. Myself at fault, for Adam had his piece done within the week. How the man tolerated my laziness was beyond me. Nevertheless, the months passed, and only recently have I found a desire to write anything, much less a blog. It took me time to realise what it was I missed. It was outright happiness. Whatever you may consider it, I have thought of it myself. I see it see as foolish yet wise.
There was only one form of writing I took to in these three months. A journal with only the barest of effort, yet still it has weeks in space between entries. I glance at it and feel regret. I poured my darkest thoughts into those blank pages, as my outlet, yet I could not let forth my creativity. The world in which I have forged with great pain and time, my great work in which I intend to write thousands of words, lay dormant because of this restraint. I could not fathom it. Writing is my life, yet I was not living, after a fashion.
It took time to grasp my mindset. It was my happiness. I lay aside the flow of my pen, in lieu of my problems. Alas, I digress. My happiness has come back to me, and from that I finally saw my inspiration to write. It is the joy of my life. To be happy in life has inspired me to create. Create tales of woe and sorrow, and of joy and hope, yet create something nevertheless.

While I cannot advise writers as Adam has so eloquently done, I can tell you about my inspiration, and work from there.

A week, it has taken but a week for me to find happiness. The people around me make me happy, they make me laugh. Laughter, I have found, is the greatest source of happiness one can have. While it may come across as disjointed in a statement, it is no less true. I have struggled to form this into words upon a screen, yet these are the words that I type. I would tell you to find people who make you happy, who make you laugh, and make you want to be with them constantly. They will ensure your wellbeing and this will allow you to be clear of mind and the clarity to write unrestricted by distracting dark thoughts. I do not say dark thoughts inhibit writing, but in the overall arc of things, to be happy is to bring forth the greater word-smithing of a writer. If you find yourself stuck, take that time of day to step away from your paper and see the people you want to see, and talk about anything and everything. Confess your woes and your joys. Tell them your anecdotes and whatever else comes across your mind.
I would tell all and any that this clearing of thought brings rise to a vivid creative train of thought, one that allows for a higher standard of writing without the clutter of negative thoughts.

I would go on to say something about love. Love brings rise to happiness there is no doubt. Though this thing, love, is a source of happiness that I now might put on par with laughter. To love and find someone to love you is a rare thing, yet finding that one person to be the other half of you, to know you better than you know yourself. It brings a rightness of the mind. For a writer, I would tell them to grab their love and make it clear. If rejection brings rise to sadness, use that as some fuel; though do not let it rule you. Motivate yourself with this, to find that person with whom you might share life.
While you might ask why loving someone inspires writing, then I can only say that you have not experienced it true. Some of the greatest works of English literature were forged from love. I'll not name the men and women who wrote of love and the great emotions it brought rise to, I will simply say anyone well read, and any writer who claims that mantle should be more than aware of the poets, playwrights and novelists who were inspired by their loves.

Lastly, I can only say that inspiration gives birth to the literature you adore. Reading what you like and love will bring rise to the desire to write your own great stories. Every time I sit down and open the page of my well read, and tattered Fellowship of the Ring, or move on to the Return of the King, I sense a burning passion to tell my story. The happiness of reading Tolkien's final fifty pages of his great book The Lord of the Rings, leaves me wanting to tell my story and see the fruition of my mind tell their stories and see them conclude their epic tales. For what fantasy writer, or even writer of the language itself, cannot be inspired by Tolkien's language? A master of the tongue, and genius storyteller.
Yet, again, I digress, for I fear Tolkien is a man who deserves his own article. Taking up some tale, be it fiction or fantasy; if the tale holds you, then read it and let the craft of a writer inspire you in turn. For reading any great author, or just a normal published author, is inspiration enough to realise it could be you. It could be you published in months or years. Knowing you might be the next person to set the standard to which others are compared for years, can inspire you to write and write.

Though, I must realise that everything above is easily disregarded as soon as writer's block returns. Yet, I can only tell you to make yourself happy again. Do not let anything stop your happiness reining in your life. If you settle before your paper or your screen and find you cannot write, then leave and do what makes you happy, until you can settle yourself before your anvil of words, be it digital or physical, and write unrestricted, with your inspiration returned.
If it requires music, the listen to music, then let it inspire you to put your word down. If it requires further reading of your favourite tales, then read that tale, even if takes weeks. Do it, and let it drive you to want to write.

If you find yourself stuck for story and not the ability to lay your tale to words, then something is wrong and that is not a lack of inspiration but a flaw in your tale. Yet again, another thought for another time.

It seems I have raised more points that I have made, Tolkien and the creating of an actual story. Two topics for lengthy articles.

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The Motivation to Write

Author: The Write Blog /

Adam Kearney -- 

“Our continued influxes of feeling are modified and directed by our thoughts” – William Wordsworth

Motivation is the pitfall for many writers.

Nothing defeats the feeling of setting out to write up your latest idea.

You have probably thought about it for the last few days or weeks or months, fleshing out your characters and your landscapes, your world, your plot. They are all becoming so tantalisingly real, so interesting in everything you make them do. This, you think, is going to be the next “big thing”.

Motivation is an eager river running through you. Every day becomes a pattern: you wake up, you eat, you drink, you read the newspaper in front of the television, but what you want most is to just sit down at your desk and rap away at the keys. After all, your character needs to defeat that next monster, or leap that next hurdle.

Every writer has had the same feeling. The initial excitement can last for as long as a few weeks, maybe even months. The satisfaction of seeing your characters come to life, your world being lived in, the word count on those pages adding up. Yes, this really is the story that will make your career. You just can’t stop smiling.

But there comes the day when you sit down at that very same desk, staring at that very same screen, adding to that very same character, and it all begins to feel like a chore. The novelty has worn off. You have written out that same scene ten times and it still doesn’t feel right.

You have lost every thread of inspiration.

As the days grow into weeks, you are forever stuck staring at a blank, white screen. Here and there you might type up a few sentences, maybe even an entire scene, but never do they sound as good as you want them to. Or as good as your favourite author.

Instead, in the vain attempt to inspire (or to avoid?) what your character is going to say next, or what situation you don’t want him to get into, you fire up the internet, watch some YouTube videos, check Facebook, do some minesweeper and take your virtual dog out for a walk. None of this works, so you shut down your computer in the hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

But it isn’t. The new pattern has begun, and you can see it happening right in front of you, but there is nothing you can do. Your book has become a raft adrift at sea, floating on the waters of unfinished rubbish.

Before long you are finding reasons to avoid your novel. Procrastination has become a common practice, and you feel lazy for letting it happen, but the motivation to write up that next scene or chapter is just too far beyond your reach. After all, writing is just a hobby; nobody would have published that book anyway. Pfft! It doesn’t matter. It can always wait another day, maybe even another week...

If this is you, then, simply put, you have lost the will and motivation to write.

But don’t be afraid! There is a strong possibility that you are suffering from symptoms of Writer’s Block.

It is never an easy thing to persevere at the same project for longer than a few months. Humans, by nature, find it hard to motivate themselves to do anything that is hard work: going to the gym, committing to a diet, driving to work, renovating the house...none of it is fun.

If you think long and hard, this is probably true for you. It is for most people. But do not be disheartened!

All writers, at some point in their career, have suffered from Writer’s Block. Hell, it took Tolkien three decades to write Lord of the Rings! The sooner you recognise that you have fallen into this pattern, the longer you can spend trying to rectify your motivation problems.

So here are a few tips to help you reach your goals of finishing that novel:

1.      Read a lot and Write a lot!

If you want to become a professional writer, you must first become a professional reader. Do not read books because you have to; read them because you love them. Gathering information and facts is important. When reading, try to assimilate as much writing knowledge as you can. Take notes on anything that seems beneficial to your own writing practice.

It is always easier to follow a specific format, or technique, used by your favourite authors. This is fine as long as you do not fall into the trap of plagiarising their work word-for-word.



2.      Innovate!

Easier said than done.

Innovation is the act of putting two things together to form a story. This happens all around us on a daily basis. Ever stood at a train station and watched that mischievous kid wander out near the tracks? Put two and two together and you have yourself an accident story.

Always take note of things that are happening around you. If you are serious about writing, chances are you already carry a pen and notebook. Always jot down notes at a presentable opportunity! It is healthy practice. If ever a new idea comes to you, even at the most obscene of times, then write it down!



3.      Go on and never look back!

It is always easy to start editing a chapter the moment you finish it. And if you are, like me, one who does this on a regular basis, you will find yourself lost in your own story. You lose the rhythm of the plot, and the coherence and flow of the text. It is better to flesh out the story in one bulk, regardless of word length or the number of plot holes. Much of it can be resolved and mended during the editing phase!



4.      Before carving a story, you must first dissect it

While many authors have started a story and not known where in the hell he/she is taking it, it is always best to have some sort of idea or plan on where you are driving the plot. Successful writers such as J.K. Rowling and Tolkien have all had the endings of their stories in mind from the outset. This gives the story a linear pattern in which you can direct it, allowing for much easier planning when wanting to include sub-plots.



5.      Take a break!

If you really are stressed out by the level of work and planning that goes into the writing of a book, then it is best you put your health first. The biggest cause of Writer’s Block is the brain’s inability to assimilate new knowledge when under pressure. Everything becomes a desperate hurdle, words slammed onto the page without a care for their meaning or message.

Set your book aside for a few days, even a week or two, and go back to it with a fresh mind, with fresh ideas.



If you really are serious about writing, you will remember that strong discipline and a passionate work ethic will eventually see you through. It may take five years, it may take one, but the whole process needs to be fun in order to succeed. As with anything in life, if you are enjoying yourself, motivation comes naturally.

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Let us start by introducing ourselves!

Author: The Write Blog /

Writing is a craft. There is no simpler way to describe it. The ability to channel ideas through the flow of script, the flow of words, is a satisfaction all aspiring writers appreciate. To form new life, to live and feel another person’s emotions, see the world through another set of eyes, encourages oneself to look up and ask: What if?

My name is Adam Kearney and I like all of these things. To say I am a budding, passionate writer would be to say an Astronaut enjoys space. There is no passion if that passion does not consume that passionate person’s life. Confusing? No. Writing to me is my life, my being, my reason. Without writing (and my girlfriend, of course!) I would be nothing more than another tearaway hanging on street corners, wasting away all opportunity, all ambition to succeed in something special.

Not really. But seriously, writing is like any other art. I doubt any of Vinnie van Gogh’s paintings were whipped up as quickly as a Subway wrap, or Shakespeare sitting in his front room burning away parchment with so many brilliant ideas all come at once. Writing takes time. It takes love, care and affection. A novel needs to be nurtured, carefully tendered before it is put on the rack, ready for its beating. So for those wishful writers who want overnight success … there’s no such thing. Writing a novel takes hard effort and grind, many sleepless nights (if you’re like me), and a strong determination for completing what you started.

I, myself, began writing as early as four or five years old. I can’t remember exactly the date when I woke up and decided, all of a sudden, that I wanted to write stories. What I do know, however, is that I have always had a love for fiction. And while I have dipped my toes into many a genre, fantasy fiction has by far been the most spellbinding.

Not only that, but fantasy fiction is also the most challenging. With writing, one normally has to tap into the imagination and come up with something extraordinary. Fantasy fiction allows for extraordinary things on every turn of the page. As a writer, being able to access that part of your imagination, to think of things, crazy, whacky, supernatural things, then putting it to paper, is one of the most gratifying feelings I have ever experienced.

But enough of my rambling. In this blog, Glen and I have decided that, to help preserve our inspiration, we would like to share bits and pieces of what we know about writing, more so in relation to the fantasy genre. This is a place where our voices can be heard, our works can be viewed, and a way for you to help us understand what is needed, or what needs changing in relation to our own writing. We both agree that our voices may be hollow, that we may simply be talking to nothing at all, but what of it? Writers take these sorts of chances, use the initiative needed to get themselves out there. And this is one way of us going about it (even if it crashes and burns, we don’t care!).

But before I go, I would like to say that what Glen and I are trying to achieve out of all this, is to bring together a small group of people who enjoy writing. It doesn’t have to be fantasy. We enjoy all forms of reading, but whatever it is that you do write, we would love to hear it, and we certainly hope that we can help you ignite some inspiration from our own works, and that we are contributing something worthwhile, at least, to the internet community of writers.

n  Adam


The internet's a fascinating thing, I've found. An endless expanse, with new sites made every day. The internet is like a self-contained universe. Constantly making and destroying, filled with so much unknown. Sometimes the internet will present an anomaly, like Earth itself; a spot of luck in the endless pages of content that will entertain.

Sometimes in this universe, people shine and we find something spectacular. A gem within the unimaginable universe. We find such within the true universe. Mind blowing sights, of galaxies and stars.

And like the universe most things aren't noticed, so a lot of things of beauty are missed.

Now enough of the analogy nonsense!

My name is Glen and I'm one of the multitudes of aspiring writers out there. I dream of spending my life telling stories of worlds unlike our own. I constantly write little stories, and make little notes about my 'big project'. My big project being my fantasy novel.

 Many writers set up a blog to be noticed, which is why Adam approached me initially, to put us somewhere on the internet. I've been meaning to set up a personal blog, and I probably will. One dedicated to the work I've done. Short stories, snippets from my novel. Parts of the expansive lore of my world. But that's another topic for another post.

 Primarily, we have this. A blog for myself and Adam to talk about other stuff. Stories from movies, books, games. Our thoughts and opinions on them. The two of us bonded over our love of crafting our own lore, and we'll probably discuss the lore of our worlds and other creations, and what made them unique and fascinating.

 Who doesn't want to read about in-depth discussion and opinions about other works? Reviews from two amateur writers? I know I would! (Not propaganda, I swear).

 While Adam has an on-going degree in this sort of thing, I just have a love of writing and fantasy. I claimed to want to be an author from the early age of seven, and have striven to attain such a status since. I took a scientific route in university, with some regret, though my love of arts, and by extension english and writing is no less than his.

We set up this to put ourselves out there, a place where our voices might be heard, where we can write about something other than those mighty novels we are both trying to hammer out. We might be talking to nothing, then again, we night be talking to multitudes who are interested in this. Who's to say right now?

I have a tendency to ramble a bit, which is quite clear above. So expect some jumbling in my posts.

Back to this introduction of the peculiar mind of me; I'm an avid reader. I read all sorts. Fantasy though is my one true passion. Tolkien is the first true inspiration, having read his works at very young age. Much like any aspiring fantasy writer, I am massively influenced by his work.

I've been interested in fictional works my entire life, from a childhood love of tales of knights, to now, where I write such tales myself.

My love of creating is infinite and this blog will be riddled with my attempts at creating something others might enjoy too.

Lastly, to make a point about my early analogy, I will say that I would hope that we, that being Adam and I, can show others something worthwhile in the internet that you might take some joy from.



n  Glen

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