Where To Get Inspiration For Writing

Find inspiration for writing fiction

So, where do authors get their inspiration for writing? Where can you find yours? Especially if your ambition is to pen a full length fiction novel? Or several…

In my last post I discussed the motivation to write, (here for you to read) and how to overcome some obstacles we may sometimes put in our way. Today, though, I want to talk about inspiration. That wonderful, magical moment of “Ah, yes! Now I know…”

Chances are, if you’re sitting down at an open laptop tapping blithely away, you have your story all ready to be poured out onto paper. If you are anything like me, particularly for that first venture into serious creative writing, the entire plot has blossomed in your head and you can’t type fast enough!

But what then? What about when your first book is complete? Are you done? Is the saying that, “Everyone has one good book in them…” the real and literal truth?

Just the one..?

Maybe you have spent the last few months dug down deep in your writer’s lair, assembling the complex skeleton of a full book series. If not, you might have found yourself falling into the trap that ensnares most of us at some point during our writing journey. Maybe you had one story, perhaps you are lucky enough to have come up with two or three, but somewhere in the back of your mind, do you ever hear a voice that whispers, “What if the ideas dry up?”

I remember completing my first novel, Evergreen. As I said, I had the entire plot in my head, and needed to get it down as quickly as possible, so I blasted the whole thing out in just a couple of months. Then I edited the living daylights out of it (oh, so necessary, believe me!) and self published it.

Holding that finished book in my hands was magic. I did that! And I listened to the voice which told me that Evergreen was my one and only. For a short while, I really thought I was done.

Why stop?

But I, like so many of you out there, am a writer. It feels weird to say it out loud, to own it, doesn’t it? It’s a bit like you’re claiming something that doesn’t really belong to you, but why? If you write, you’re a writer, simple as.

Reach out and take it, it’s yours.

However, growth and development are desirable in all undertakings. I felt the need to shift gears, so my fourth novel, Guardian, did just that. It’s a different animal to my first three. And my new book, coming soon, (Ooh, yay!!! Nearly done! It’s almost party time!) also has its own distinct tone and feel.

A quote to spark your inspiration for writing

So where, then, do the ideas come from? Do they materialise out of nowhere in a kind of light bulb moment?

I wish!

But no. No! If you simply lie back and wait for inspiration to strike, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be smothered in layers of dust before that blessed moment arrives! There’s a quote from author Jack London that I adore for its brutal simplicity: “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

That resonated strongly with me when I found myself bemoaning my lack of ideas! I had a vague sort of visualisation for the setting of this new novel, but no notion of the characters or the plot. So, not knowing what else to try, I did a google search to get inspiration for writing, and that’s when I came across Mr. London’s quote.

Later that same day, after aggressively following his advice, I had the bones of the plot. I had the main characters. I had the title.

Scarecrow.

Where to get inspiration for writing

So, where did this inspiration come from? Having read only one, albeit powerful, quote from another author, how did this solve my most pressing problem?

Well, I went after it with a club, of course! Everywhere I went that day, all that I did, I kept my eyes and ears open, and my brain on full alert.

Driving in the car, I played music and listened hard. Out and about in town, I watched every soul that passed me by. (Creepy, I know, I know! Sorry about that…) At a restaurant for a date night meal, I took special notice of the food and conversation. In the cinema watching a summer blockbuster, I actively soaked up each sentence spoken, and every nuance of feeling and emotion.

And don’t forget that initial google search. Without it and what it produced, I may never have been so eager to grasp at those slight shreds of inspiration that eventually drew together and fleshed out to form the whole.

It’s all around you

Do what you love, and see it through new eyes, if you can. Different eyes. Those of your main character, perhaps. How would they think, feel, see, react, to what you are experiencing?

Hear music, listen to lyrics, and respond to the emotions it causes you to feel. Write them down and see if the words keep flowing. Who knows? This could well be the catalyst that unblocks the channels of your mind, allowing fresh ideas to surge.

Go for a walk in nature, in town, or on the beach. What do you see? How does it smell? Then close your eyes and listen. Fully engage each of your senses before projecting it all into your work.

Light a few candles and watch a television show. Go to see a film, or read some books, and all the while, think!

Breathe in, breathe out

Now, I’m not suggesting for one moment that you should copy someone else’s work, I really wouldn’t go down that road! But there is so much talent on display out there that it’s hard not to be inspired by it. Indeed, literary expert Pam Allyn is quoted as saying: “Reading is breathing in, writing is breathing out…”

So go on! Go out there and get the inspiration for writing your story, chase after it, and breathe it all in! Because guess what?

It’s time to exhale.