[Crimsonrash]

Here's one for our highly valued writers on the forum, how do you get through your periods of unmotivation and lack of inspiration?
What little personal tricks do you use to stay on task when writing?

[MikeHales67]

I'm not one of the highly-valued but it does happen.

I think writer's block is just part of the job. I deliberately decided when I started writing stories not to do it for money, 'cos I didn't want the pressure/hassle.
What I do is just accept it and do something else; walk the cat, go shopping, cook a meal, watch telly, read someone else's stories. If I'm really, really desperate; do my actual paid job!

I'm a great believer in "Attention without Deliberation" Your conscious mind is not thinking about it, but your unconscious mind is. And suddenly it will pop up when you least expect it going "Hey I've got an idea"! Have a word processor on your phone so you can jot ideas down when they hit, and they will hit.

Good Luck!

[Kiva]

I go through long periods of inactivity, due more to lack of time and many other commitments. I don't sit down and brainstorm for ideas. I just wait for the inspirations to show up. I work in a female dominated profession, work with a lot of people and am involved in my community, so my ideas are drawn from real life. Perhaps I'm exposed to more people every day most, but I think any writer can apply this. Pay attention if you find yourself having negative vibes about people who rub you the wrong way. ask yourself why, then see if you can build a female fight story around it (even if the person is male). I try to come up with relatable characters that most of us can recognize. Characters in Kiva's Fight Journal include a better-than-thou know-it-all at work, an immature late teen who wants to be treated as an adult, an annoying "perfect mom" who can't stop bragging about her kids, an overly protective big sister, an insecure medical intern, the wife of a washed-up football player who can't stop reliving his glory days, a bigoted retired military officer and his younger Korean wife, etc.

I'd say don't try so hard. Give your ideas time to show up...Or maybe I'm just plain weird.