Inspiration by Osmosis

A Writing Funk

Being a huge Escher fan, I love this.

I’m writing a book…okay, several. Typically, my most productive time writing is when I escape the house full of children and chores to camp out at some local coffee place while pounding away at the keys. But even though I leave to be “alone,” I prefer to be “alone” with company, so I usually try to drag a friend or sibling along with me.

A little while back, I had made plans to have one such “social writing” night with my friend Courtney (click here to check out her blog). But our schedules had such trouble coordinating that when we were finally able to get together, enough time had passed that I’d moved out of my previous phase of motivated productivity and into somewhat of a writing funk.

Peer Pressure or Support?

We kept our plans, but honestly, I had no desire to even open my WIP. It was one of those days that I’d be satisfied with just some good chit chat. When we were eating dinner, I found out that I wasn’t the only one. Courtney confessed to me that she had also been in a funk – it had been weeks since she’d made a dent in her own story. Despite that, after dinner, we halted the conversation and opened our laptops, facing our projects head on.

A Return of Motivation

And something amazing happened. We made progress. By the end of the night, Courtney was back in the swing of things (and I found out later that in the days following, she continued to make progress on her novel), and I had written a good seven hundred words, which was a triumph, considering I’d barely touched it for probably two weeks. And the best part was, after that, I rediscovered my motivation.

What is it about hanging out with other Creatives that gets the gears turning again? It still mystifies me that even though neither of us was feeling inspired, we were still able to spur each other on.

What friends, relatives, coworkers, professors or other people get you motivated to create?

One thought on “Inspiration by Osmosis

  • I have often felt this way. I don’t know what it is either, but sometimes the thought of sitting alone in whatever room you’ve been working in is too much. Maybe it’s the opportunity to chat while working… Seems to take the pressure off.

    Changing it up! That’s what helps me! (This is also why I’ve rearranged my office at work about 5 times in 3 years.)

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