To keep your writing fresh?

Don’t know about you, but I’m always searching for ways to get inspired. Because if I’m inspired, that inspiration will be reflected in my writing.

A few days ago I wrote a post, How to make progress on your novel without writing, about breaking through sluggish points in writing when you’re not sure what comes next.

Ways to step away from writing without leaving the manuscript behind. I loved y’all for leaving so many wonderful comments and suggestions.

One reader, Phillip T Stephens suggested– 

“Read novels similar to your own and see what other novelists did. Joyce said all artists steal. The key is how well we do it. Did another author solve your problem? Great. How can you adapt that to your novel in a new and interesting way? Did another author come up with a really crappy solution? Even better. How can you spin that terrible solution into the perfect solution for your novel?

“Binge-watch movies and series to prime your creative pump or recharge your batteries.”

I took Phillip’s suggestions to heart and started reading other murder mysteries to find where the author placed their “inciting incidents,” where the story speeds up and then slows down to give the reader a second to catch their breath. Phillip’s idea is a great way to understand the pros use movement and pace in a story like yours.

What do you think?

Have you ever binge-watched a series or movies? 

What about spending a day just reading or even a week? (I love taking a few days to binge read.)

Here are a few more ways to study a favorite novel or movie.

A favorite movie? Try SlideShare. or IMDb.

A favorite book? One similar to your WIP? Try SparkNotes or Pink Monkey.

Need more? See if one of these meets your need:

Shmoop, JiffyNotes, BookRags, Bookwolf, GradeSaver, WikiSummaries.

Okay, here are my questions of the day–

Do you use Cliffnotes for your research?

Can you share other websites or sources for research?

How do you research a new project? Or a WIP that’s ground to a halt?

I’d love to hear from you! Click to write me or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at  jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on and I’m waiting.

Please remember share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.