Freelance Writing: Simple Tips on Complicated TopicsHow to Get Inspired: Surprising Benefits of a Scrap File

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Writing is very demanding. It takes much more than simply creating a new document and quickly pushing buttons on a keyboard to make some pretty text appear on your screen. Pushing buttons is actually no problem – but only if you know what to write or how to get inspired.
If you don’t know what to write, a scrap file jam-packed with amazing ideas will save you.

3 Reasons Why You Need a Scrap File

A scrap file is a collection of your wonderful but unused ideas. Do you mean you still don’t have one? C’mon, you need to create one right now, for at least 3 reasons:

• to get inspired when you’re hit by the worst blocks and depressions;
• to prevent your wonderful ideas from being lost forever;
• to save your precious time on research.

7 Things to Include in Your Scrap File

The next question is how to create a scrap file. Here’s what you can include, for starters:

1. Cuttings from your past papers. Be pitiless when proofreading your papers! Whenever you feel that a certain part of your paper doesn’t fit the context, grab it and paste it into your scrap file. Don’t feel sorry for it – you may use it later or at least get inspired when you see it next time.
2. Links to helpful resources. Don’t rely on a blind fate – Google (just like other engines) change their search results rather quickly. If you find a great resource once, there’s absolutely no guarantee that you will find it again. Save the link.
3. Brilliant ideas crossing your mind. Good ideas for your papers can come to you when you least expect them. Don’t let them go – write on napkins, use an audio recorder or text message drafts in your cell phone.
4. Favorite quotes. Sometimes, well-known thinkers say or write truly inspiring things. Make a small collection of inspiring quotes and reread it when you need a push to start writing.
5. Citations from books or scholarly articles. Sometimes the same source would suit perfectly two or even more papers addressing similar topics. Why not take advantage of it?
6. Suggestions for further research. When you write a research paper, there’s that awkward moment when you have to rack your brains to make suggestions for further research. Don’t forget to include those suggestions in your scrap file – what if you will be the one who will want to address that problem?
7. Best clichés. Yes, we know that too much was said on how to avoid clichés. However, sometimes you can get inspired by looking trough a handful of clichés. It doesn’t mean you can over-exploit them from paper to paper. Whenever you feel proud of a certain especially witty phrase or a complicated construction of yours – grab it and add it to your scrap file.

A scrap file is a real necessity for those who want to get inspired in minimum time with minimum effort. Good-bye, writer’s blocks!