Writer’s block is pretty universal in the writer community. But what happens when you just can’t seem to find the inspiration or drive to write? Well, that can be a very tough ordeal to deal with. Inspiration plays a very strong part in your ability to write, and write well. So what do you do when you’ve tried everything and you still can’t seem to get the inspiration to write back?

First, start with how and why you lost your inspiration. As with anything, it’s always good to narrow down the source first. Having bad days at work? Bad days at home? Or maybe you just can’t seem to produce any good subject matter to write about. Whether its novels, short stories, poems, or screenplays, these helpful tips should help each and every one of you writers out there.

By now, I’m hoping you’ve narrowed down the cause of inspiration deprivation. Once you’ve done so, think about what you normally enjoy writing about, and why? Maybe you like true crime, because you enjoy serving justice at the end. If so, try switching genres, but keep serving justice. In other words, instead of writing a true crime novel, try writing a drama. In that drama, give yourself something to work with that can relate to your love of true crime.

Try writing a court room drama, in which you’ll still be able to serve justice. If switching genres does not work, let’s try something a little more drastic. Change your environment! If you normally write in your bedroom, try writing in the living room. If you normally write indoors, try writing outside. A lot of times, you just need a good change in your surroundings. Seeing new things while writing, can be very beneficial to both your inspiration and your imagination. If neither of these seems to work, take a break. Maybe you’re trying too hard, and burning yourself out. Take a week off, and spend it with people you care about. However, you should keep in mind that you need to spend time actually writing as well, dont get too distraced. If you think this may be an issue, try investing in some time management software to keep you on track!

Visit an old relative you haven’t seen in years, or take a close friend out to dinner. Usually, this is all the inspiration you need. The people you have around you. If worst comes to worst, and none of this works, you have two choices. Don’t write, and assume writing is no longer for you. And I really hope you don’t do that, or you can dig deeper and try to find your own resolution and one that specifically works for you.

I wish you all the luck in the world recapturing your inspiration, and remember, the only people that fail, are those that give up.