How to Get Inspired to Write

I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding around how good pieces of writing actually come to be.

Ever been to r/writing on Reddit? It’s an absolutely horrifying place. People ask the same questions every hour, every day – “how do I make myself write?” – “how do I come up with a book idea?” – “how do I write my book?”. And then the same answers are given, over and over again until infinity – its either some form of “just write” or a long, over-understanding comment of understanding or commiseration that gets us nowhere.

In case it wasn’t clear, r/writing is not a useful place to go. But it is a plausibly representative sample of the sentiment about writing, and how it actually takes place.

There are millions of articles about authors and their processes. I think mine is pretty simple and relatable, and plus I’m not a famous author trying to maintain some web of mystique around my genius, so I’ll tell you whatever you wanna know.

For me writing is a way to bounce your ideas back on yourself. A writer who loves the sound of their own voice might call this “a conversation with oneself,” which although annoying is somewhat accurate. But it’s not a mystical thing – my brain can only hold so many thoughts at one time. To connect them or develop them into more complex ideas, some of them have to be sitting in front of me, out of my brain. I have to write them out, then revise them. Very simple.

You’ll notice how this process doesn’t involve waiting for a bolt of inspiration or a fully formed perfect book to pop into my head. I don’t believe that’s a thing. I think writing is a form of deeper thinking, and without it your book idea can’t possible be thought through.

Don’t worry about the blank page. Think of it as a tool and a helper, not something to be conquered. Writing anything down will help you move forward, even if it’s just a stream of consciousness about what you wish you could be writing. That’s an exercise I use all the time – “I want to write a book about blah blah blah” and it helps break the dam.

But whatever you do, don’t sit around waiting forever for the perfect inspiration to come. Don’t let perfect get in the way of good.

—Perrin