Five on Friday: Refilling the Well

Sometimes going from deadline to deadline (or lurching from one crisis to the next) can leave me more than a little tired. I run out of words or ideas and sometimes even the will to write. Any creative person will say that what we're supposed to do when feeling like that is to 'refill the well' - do something to inspire our souls, our imaginations and all that. I've been having a nice time burying my head in the sand about my deadline, and just refilling the well this week ... here are my 5 favourite ways to do it:

1. Read. I curl up in a comfy spot and read a book - with no analysis, just enjoyment. It's just bliss.
2. Fresh air. For me this automatically seems to include water - going for a swim, going down to the beach, overlooking a pond at the Botannical gardens or something like that... it revitalises me. At the 2010 Romance Writers of New Zealand conference, bestselling author Stephanie Laurens and Hollywood story consultant Chris Vogler had a fascinating discussion on the inspirational 'power' of water and the creative benefits of being near a spring...
3. And while we're on the water subject, there is nothing like having a long, hot shower. Maybe this is something especially good for the very busy mothers out there because it's something we can manage daily - I have several mates with young children and we all confess to taking long, hot showers for some time out. But I always get hit with ideas while I'm in there too - so fabulous!
4. Travel - even to the next town. Going somewhere new, sitting watching people from a cafe, walking the streets and looking at the buildings, reading the local paper, going down the main street and walking into a bakery or fruit stall... change is as good as a break...
5. Cultural experience - be it going to a concert or to an exhibition at an art gallery, nothing inspires me more than seeing the creative endeavours of other artists. Some people create the most amazing, beautiful things and I get blown away by them. I love to be reminded of the years and years and years of training and practice that classical musicians have gone through to master their instruments. It inspires me to practice and practice and practice my own craft. I love to look at a beautiful painting or sculpture and feel the pleasure from looking at it and remember how worthwhile it is to create something for others to simply enjoy or get amusement/pleasure or some kind of emotional response to. I am inspired to strive - to get more of that visceral response from readers by writing fun fiction that has deeply emotional truths at the core... to provoke a response, to provide an escape, to make someone laugh and cry and remind them of the power of our relationships... yes, it reminds me of my core purpose...

So, I've been reading books all week, in a different town, lingering in the shower, staying by the beach and paddling in the water and today I went to a fantastic exhibition at the local art gallery... and I am so ready to write!