The Secret to Writer’s Block: Travel

Rip, Ride, & Rockit Through: 

Amusement Park Inspiration to Break Through Genre Specific Writer’s Block

As I’ve been writing the sequel to Arriving Through Time, I’ve encountered several sticking points when trying to describe some of the scenes with specific themes or in certain eras.  One of the areas that I am currently writing is based at Universal Studios Florida.  I encountered a little writer’s block when I was trying to write some dialogue within this scene and wanted to get a little boost of inspiration.  So, I decided to peruse through my old photos of visits that I had made to the park in the past. 

I swiped past some pictures of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter including a super cute snowman dressed as a wizard and a nice photo of Hogwarts.  I even found a picture of the first time I tried butterbeer.  More importantly, I came across a picture of my favorite ever amusement park ride:  Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit, it’s basically a roller coaster that goes straight up and then into almost a dead drop down.  Besides the crazy drop, the other thing that makes the ride unique is that you can pick your individual soundtrack from a list of different speeds and genres of music.  I have been on the ride several times and have selected everything from Bring Me To Life by Evanescence to Rollin’ by Limp Bizkit, but my favorite and best song for the timing of the ride happens to be Rock Star by N.E.R.D.  Here’s a link to the music video (which also happens to be pretty crazy) in case you don’t remember the song:   

And yes, for those not familiar with N.E.R.D.- that is Pharrell Williams, whose most well known song is featured below. It also happens to feature a pretty amazing hat (just try to not get this song stuck in your head):   

Anyways, while I was reminiscing about my favorite roller coaster, it spurred me on to include it in my writings and helped me through my writer’s block.  I also came across some pictures from another time when I visited the park. This time, though, it was for Halloween Horror Nights.  If you are unfamiliar, in the fall each year Universal turns itself into a Halloween lovers dream (or nightmare).  Each year they have themed haunted houses and scare zones where costumed actors make it their mission to freak you out.  The whole place is built to be terrifying- and it succeeds.

But, that gets to my point.  If I was writing a horror genre novel or even a scary scene, Halloween Horror Nights would be the ideal inspiration.  Not only are the haunted houses immersive, but the costumes and the surroundings are impressive and terrifying.  Writing about a scary clown?  Delving into the mind of a serial killer?  Designing a zombie laden thriller?  You’ll find all of these and a lot more there.  So how can you use this to inspire your genre specific writer’s block?  Here are some ideas:

• Try to visit a park or event if you can.  Like I said, Halloween Horror Nights is something to experience.  But, if you aren’t able to make it yourself (the event has been cancelled this year, but there’s a rumor that they might try to do something virtually - thanks COVID-19), try checking out travel blogs that include pictures and descriptions of interest to you.  Undercover Tourist is a site that sells tickets and sets up hotel rooms, but they also have a blog that is updated frequently and provides great information with pictures to view:  https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/

• If pictures are not enough, try checking out youtube for some inspiration.  There are a ton of videos to look through.  Fair warning:  a lot of them are pretty scary! 

• If horror isn’t your thing, but you like to delve into another genre, try finding events that reflect what you need.  

  • Do you write fantasy about kings, queens, castles and dragons? Try looking up the Medieval Times Dinner Show or another Medieval festival.  See the above mentioned land dedicated to Harry Potter.  

  • Do you write science fiction?  Try looking up a local comic-con or visit a planetarium.  Universal’s Islands of Adventure has a whole world dedicated to superheroes and Disney’s Magic Kingdom has Tomorrowland- a world designed for the future.

  • Do you write adventure novels?  Amusement parks are a great source for this one too.  Some of my favorites are Jurassic Park: The Ride and Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride.  There are endless options of genre-specific inspiration out there.  Frame your search to what you are passionate about and what genre you love.

So yeah, amusement parks and rides can provide much needed distraction from writing.  But they can also provide inspiration to your story or your genre.   So, the next time that you feel like writer’s block is keeping you from delving into your genre, try some amusement park inspiration instead. 

I hope that these ideas help you to break through! 

Found a great source of inspiration that worked for you?  Let me know!

Still getting writer’s block?  Tell me how I can help!