Get Yourself Pumped Before You Write

Not always do I enjoy getting back into writing if I’ve missed a day or two. There are some days I just don’t want to write. Maybe I feel I’ve burned myself out on writing. On those days, I turn to inspirational sources.

So, what are my sources of immediate inspiration? I’ve got a few of them. Interestingly enough, most are video game media, TV shows, or music. Why is this? These sources are instant. You hear the first note of a tune that inspires you and you immediately recall the whole song. Video game media is short, and opens the floodgates to past experiences with that game. TV shows are the equivalent of the short story in cinema. They can wrap up a plot and deliver a story quickly.

Why was literature not in my list of immediate inspiration? Well for me, literature takes some time to get inspired by. It takes time to crack a book open and read a few pages, and then let that text sink in and digest its meaning. I do receive inspiration from literature, in fact it’s my main source of inspiration when it comes to what I’m writing; but, the immediate inspiration that I’m talking about is my emergency fix.

If I’m not feeling like writing, it can be hard to force myself to and be in a good mood about it. This is my lazy state. So instead of just forcing myself to read and write, I coax myself to do it by giving my brain some incentive. Check out “Diablo The Sin War.” A remix by OC of in-game dialog from the game Diablo II.

http://youtu.be/U6w6LeuYv5E

Most of my favorite games have, in my opinion, some of the best lore. It gets me pumped to do the same, really flesh out a deep, important history. Making the world I’m writing about feel like it’s been surviving for centuries before my plot ever happens there.

Here’s another video game opening clip from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV, one of my all-time favorite games due to the character development in the game.

http://youtu.be/IT12DW2Fm9M

 I’ve got a soundtrack that is particularly fantasy-esk which I play before writing, and sometimes during. I actually first heard songs form Felicia Sorensen on my mission. She did some songs for an LDS Book of Mormon soundtrack, later I found she had done some Enya-like music. Here’s a track from her CD.

http://youtu.be/4XrfYdGi-uI

http://youtu.be/SwfTNRjbPdg

So those are my shots of inspiration. I hate forcing myself to write. I’ve done it that way for years. When I’m not in the mood, I’ll write anyways just to keep on schedule, and I’m bullheaded like that, but after a while I thought of approaching it in a different way. This has be the most effective way for me to instantly get the writing bug.