Writer Inspiration: Where does it come from?
I recently read an online article about thoughts. It stated that we each have approximately 70,000 thoughts per day. I'm not sure where that number came from or how accurate it is, but that sure is a lot of thinking! Thinking about work, life, and family. Weighing up information, forming opinions, and making decisions. Digesting and analysing what we see, hear and feel. And in amongst all of that thinking, finding inspiration for your first (or your next) novel.
I'm a strong believer that story inspirations are all around us - it's just a matter of recognising the inspiration and capturing it.
Don't let the idea get away!
How many times have you thought of something, made a mental note, and then lost it when you've tried to recall it later? The simple and obvious solution - write it down.
Sometimes I've had the kernel of an idea for a new romance, and from that small beginning, it's grown into a full-blown story. It may have only started from a simple concept, a line or two I've jotted down, but later I've been able to go back and expand on the idea. An idea doesn't have to be a multiple page outline, it can be as brief as a sentence, or a photo.
When I'm ready to start on a new manuscript, the story I work on is often based on reviewing the ideas I've already captured. I'm not staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration to strike. I look through my list of ideas and see what one is calling to me. At other times, I've been inspired to write a story that's hounded me all through my current work in progress, just waiting for me to finish so I an start on it. In that case I don't even open my ideas list. The reason? You need to tell the story that's in your heart and mind and wanting to be told. In my experience, it doesn't work to try to force a story.
So where do I stumble on this inspiration?
Finding Inspiration - Ideas come from everywhere and anywhere so keep an open mind.
Life Experience
Events that have happened in my life have inspired scenes in my books, or people I've met have formed the basis for a character. For example, the first year my husband joined my family for Christmas I had a disaster while making the Christmas pudding. I burned myself badly and my poor hubby ended up having to take care of me. That misfortune and the emotions it triggered, made its way into one of my books.
Family and Friends
I love hearing stories about how people met or significant things that have occurred in their lives. I love researching my family history. Often I think that these tales would be wonderful to be told in a book. The key is remembering I'm writing romance and to respect the information shared with me and the privacy of the person - I'm not writing someone else's biography, rather using snippets of information to trigger my own imagination.
Movies and TV shows
Once again, I'm not looking to recreate a story that someone else has already told and it's paramount to respect copyright. The inspiration I get from movies and TV shows is high level. For example, it's interesting to see viewing trends. Are crime scene shows popular right now? Maybe write a police procedural. What about medical dramas? Can thinking about that type of show trigger some ideas for your own romance set in a hospital?
Current Affairs & News Articles
Have you ever seen a headline and thought "Wow, that'd make a good book?" Well, write it! ๐
Objects
Sometimes a simple item can inspire a story. I've written a story featuring a 'memory box' because I keep a box of all my treasured memories. What about an antique or family heirloom, such as a special piece of jewellery? Have you ever wondered where something has been or how it got to be where it is today? If you think about it, there's probably a story there. I've even written a story inspired by a recipe.
Photos
Pictures of fabulous locations, or people. Such as a house in the country, a gorgeous man in a suit, a woman in a firefighter's outfit, an old man carrying a baby, a car crash... What stories do these photos tell?
YouTube
I use YouTube to bookmark clips I've seen that speak to me. For example, I've bookmarked some reunion videos where people come home from a long time apart from their families. I love the emotion captured in the videos and one day plan to write a reunion story.
Songs
Songs can say so much through the music, the lyrics, and the video clips. Even if a song doesn't form the starting point for a story idea, I usually have one or two songs that inspire part of a story.
So look around you every day, keep your mind open, and write down those ideas. That little snippet of an idea you capture today might be the beginning of your novel.
Happy writing,
Nicki xx
