Where to Go For Inspiration

I don't believe in writers' block. I believe in sitting down and writing whether you're "inspired" or not. I'm kind of a no-nonsense, tough-love sort of writer--when it comes to dealing with my inner child. But I also know it's more fun to write when you're inspired. Still, inspiration doesn't come when it's called--it comes when it's good and ready. Or does it?

No, you can't control inspiration, But it helps to know yourself and know how to make the environment friendly to it. Here are a few places I know to return to when I"m struggling for it.

To my friends. There is nothing like checking out what your friends are doing to get back the urge to create yourself. I"m lucky to have quite a few extremely talented friends who always inspire me. And by "inspire me," I mean "make me insanely jealous with the awesome stuff they're doing." Jealousy isn't a bad thing, though. Jealousy fuels me.

To books and art I love. Reading is my refuge. When I was a kid, I would sit in my room for hours and read. I would read on the playground. I would read in the classroom. I had this clever habit of propping a textbook up on my desk and hiding a small paperback in it so it looked like my face was buried in the textbook. Of course, any teacher who moved around the room rather than hanging out at the front would have my number. But I still thought it was a brilliant move.

To the outdoors. I grew up in Vermont, and being outside always makes me feel better. Even if I'm outside in New York, which I'm not sure actually counts as "outside." I like being surrounded by trees and not hearing any sounds of human habitation, but if there's none of that particular environment around, I can live with warm sun on my back and a nice patch of grass.

To coffee shops. The world just looks different in a coffee shop, and I've done some of my best and most productive writing in them. I love coffee shops that attract freelancers and writers themselves. I love cafes full of people tapping away on laptops. I feel part of something bigger--part of a counter-cultural movement away from the cubicle and toward creative, entrepreneurial, and fulfilled lives. I feel like we're all in it together, even if we're all working on our own things.

To the gym. I get bored when I jog. And when I get bored, I daydream. I've found the treadmill is a great place to think about my book and untangle troublesome plot points.

Where do you go for inspiration?