The Unexpected Reaction

Some time ago I read in a book that above the age of 30, most of what we do is done out of habit.

We don’t think about it. We’ve done the things we do so often, they’ve become second nature.

But as writers we want to escape that. We want to try new things, get new insights into how people behave, why they do that they do or what reactions they provoke.

So, it doesn’t hurt every once in a while to get out of your routine.

Do something unexpected. Even if it’s just a little thing.

Take a different route.

Give a different answer.

Try to find out what your standard reaction to recurring situations is and react in a different way. Watch how people react.

…

You get the point.

Escaping our routines is not only a good exercise to gain new insights about characters that we’re writing about it also gives us insights about ourselves.

Often there are different ways we could react, it’s just that we were afraid of an outcome that doesn’t happen anyway, or we’re so accustomed to our standard reaction that we don’t even think about it anymore.

And it might be different for you, but routine too much routine is what’s killing my inspiration.

More about “inspiration-killers” that you’re unaware of: