Every once in a while, writers and other creatives find themselves at a loss for fresh ideas and motivation. In this situation, I find myself turning to other writers for inspiration. I’d like to introduce you to four books that might help you find your way back into writing.
Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life by Maggie Smith. This is a fantastic book, very inspiring. It’s not about craft. It’s about essential elements for creativity, such as wonder, surprise, and restlessness. Each chapter begins with a letter to Writer, in which Maggie Smith explains how she came to understand the importance of a particular element. Then, there are three sections that explain how to invite such elements into your creative life, often with examples. And, finally, each chapter includes a generative prompt to help the writer find this creative element in their own life. It’s a gentle, easy read – almost too easy, because you have to slow yourself down to better contemplate the material. Maggie Smith is a poet and memoirist, so this book is friendly toward whatever kind of writer you might be.
The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad. Another great book. Be prepared to set aside a little over three months to do this book the justice it deserves. Suleika Jaouad relates how she gave herself a challenge to do a specific creative activity every day for 100 days as a way to invite more creativity into her life. She then invited 100 creative people to send her an essay about finding inspiration and a prompt. The point is to read an essay each day and do something at least related to that thing. It’s like having 100 different cheerleaders encouraging you to get outside of your own head and away from the internet and create. The prompts are divided into ten chapters, each on a specific general topic, such as On Memory, On Rebuilding, On Seeing. The author weaves a bit of her own story into the chapters and adds an extra layer of inspiration. What are we waiting for?
The Wonder Paradox: Embracing the Weirdness of Existence and the Poetry of Our Lives by Jennifer Michael Hecht. You have to look for this book in the philosophy section – why? Well, because she wrote the book Doubt, about religion. But this book belongs in poetry, literary criticism, or self-help, really. Hecht recognizes that, as a culture, we’re veering away from organized faith, but that it is creating a dangerous void in our lives. We lack the consolation and support and wisdom that organized religions offer us. The author uses poetry she loves to help her create a personal “prayer book” of topics to navigate life. This is a deeply rewarding exercise, inspiring sincere reflection.
Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen Rubin discovered that she has a condition that threatens her eyesight. This has caused her to reflect on how she is so busy, running around and dealing with our society’s frantic lifestyle, that she has stopped really experiencing the world. She explores how to make room in our lives to be more mindful, present, and aware of the world around us – very important if you are a creative. She introduces us to scientists and philosophers and other experts who can open our eyes to the possibilities presented by rediscovering our senses. This is a sneaky book; you have to examine every single page, endpapers, jacket, because there is hidden inspiration everywhere.
About Lisa Connors
Lisa Wence Connors retired from the US Army and is now a mercenary writer and poet. She divides her time between Salt Lake City, UT, Fruita, CO, and the open road. She works with troubled and struggling teens in Salt Lake County, as well as facilitating creative writing workshops for the Mesa County Public Library and the Grand Junction VA. She is the Editor of High Desert Cadence: A Journal of Veteran Creative Writing. Her work has been published in the journals Proud to Be, Alexandria Quarterly, Bluestem Literary Journal, and Atlas & Alice, among others, as well as the anthologies Groundhogs, Crones, and Other Poems, The Gyroscope Review 2023 Anthology, and We are the West: Tributaries. She has been awarded a 2023 Missouri Humanities Poetry Award and two Gold Medals for Poetry from the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.
