Post: #1

I don't even know what the next level is, but I'm not happy with my words.

WIA

Post: #2

Put the pen down. Take a walk. Do something other than writing (but always keep pencil and pad on you).

You need to mentally break up your work schedule and keep your creative thinking going in the back of your brain, rather than in the foreground. Sounds abstract, but when ideas coalesce in the background, the lightbulb is more likely to go off rather than overly concentrating on it.

Keep pad & pencil next to bed.

Post: #3

Keep writing. Keep editing. Produce finished products, if only for yourself. After you have written a million or so polished words, you should then be happy with your words.

On the other hand, do not live to write, or write to live. But just live, perceive, think about things - good writing is a consequence of clear and incisive observation and thinking.

Post: #4

Read. And write.

A lot.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #5

Read good books by good writers. Do you actually like writing? What type of writing styles do you enjoy reading? What do you like to write about? Do you get excited by your own writing? I have a few writers that I really enjoy and they are absolutely masterful with their use of words.

Read books you enjoy, and write about stuff you enjoy writing about daily and you will express naturally what you enjoy.

Post: #6

Read writers you enjoy, that make you laugh, or people who inspire you, who you learn from

Post: #7

WIA, You're one of my favourite posters on this forum precisely because the style in which you write is unique and incredibly well well expressed. Word choice is exquisite and the clear simple way you manage to express complex ideas should be analysed and taught to others.

Jumping off your dick for a second, I think this is something you need to figure out yourself. Mix shit up, you obviously love the power that the written word wields, but something has gone wrong. For example, if you write in the morning, try writing in the evening, write drunk if you write sober, write sober if you write drunk. Write with someone, write alone, write in nature, write by candlelight. Write post sex, write after exercising, after meditating. Try something different.

Back on your dick, sort it out man, this forum needs you. i need you. hahahaha

Post: #8

Get influenced by other works. Find styles that you like and start to emulate them with your own stamp of creativity.

And I suggest variety. I've been working on a long epic that is influenced by such various things as Homer on the one side and obscure animes on the other.

Find them, blend them together, and put your own mark on it.

Post: #9

Disconnect from the Internet at home.

Schedule long stretches into your schedule where you sit at home and think, alone. Turn off your phone. Just think.

Explore ideas to the point of boredom and eventually you'll find things worth writing down.

It might take a while.

Boredom is a necessary part of being creative and unique. That's why in a world gone mad with distraction we are losing touch with our emotions and humanity.

As Paul Theroux observed, the Internet has been good for business but bad for literature.

Post: #10

The greatest inspiration for me to write and write beyond what I ever imagined I would do come from two reasons:

1. Living Life

Not just living life, but taking risks and living life on the edge. I have never known of a great writer who did not have incredible life experiences. Life is the fuel for your creative expression.

From what I've read of your posts, you strike me as a man of depth and a man who has experienced some degree of 'pain'. Connect the 'pain' with a solution and you may find that next level.

2. Fulfilling The Need To Express Myself

Converting experiences that caused XYZ emotions into writing that either inspires or helps others understand a human condition, is paramout to why I write.

Writing is an art form and a way to express oneself.

As far as you taking it to the next level, perhaps you're not writing about your passion. If I were to write on the history of mathematics I would pull my fingernails out with rusty pliers, but ask me to write about the time I almost crashed in a plane with 4 girls and the pilot and it pours out.

Connect your passion with the pen and the words have a way of flowing.