Bubbling with Inspiration

Writers are often asked where they get their inspiration, and that can be a really difficult question. After writing a book, trying to follow the threads back to the origin point for what later became the book is often difficult. Inspiration isn't a direct line. It's more of a cloud or fog, and we're walking through it all the time. 

Reading Inspires 

I find reading very inspirational. When I read a book I really enjoy, I will sometimes tease out the things about it I find most inspiring. Was I inspired by the world and the chance to go somewhere I'd never been before? Was I inspired by a character(s) and the chance to meet someone so unusual, or maybe so like someone I know, or someone I am? Was I inspired by something small, a flicker of an idea, an image on the cover, something from the book's blurb? Inspiration comes from so many places. 

This is one reason I sometimes simply browse books at bookstores, online or in real life, and study covers. Knowing nothing about a book but the image on the cover can sometimes be incredibly inspiring. If I have nothing else to go on, what do I think the book would be about? If given this cover, what kind of book would I write? If the cover contains characters, what kind of people, or creatures, are they? Sometimes I will open a journal and write down things I find inspiring about the image. It might be things like “strong expression” or “dreamy blue.” It might be something that would be very personal to me. For instance, maybe the character reminded me of my brother, so I simply write “my brother.” 

Then for each of these elements I've noted, I'll use a page of the journal to explore the element. For instance, if I wrote “dreamy blue” in the center of the page, I'll circle it and let my creative brain associate that with “color and mood,” or “color controls mood?” I'll also consider what makes a blue dreamy and might write “gray” as I find gray blues dreamy. But why do I see it that way, maybe because the gray blue reminds me of storms or the sea after a storm, so I write those too. I'll keep doing this, following trails of thought and inspiration, more and more until I find one that resonates.  

Often, I actually find several that resonate, so I have to let this kind of inspiration simmer for a while, returning to it often in my head to add new ideas, new thoughts, new story potential, until I find an idea that has sprung into the roots of a story that I'm ready to tend until it grows. 

Watching Inspires 

I try not to watch a lot of television as I often find I don't feel particularly happy if I do, and I'll abandon a show if I find it isn't grabbing my interest in a positive way. There's enough stuff in the world to depress me, I don't need to go looking for it. But that doesn't mean I don't find inspiration in television and movies. 

When my daughter was very young, she would watch children's television programs now and then, but she rarely made it all the way through an episode. She'd watch until the show inspired an idea or sparked interest, then she'd rush off to her room to play out the idea with her toys as characters instead of watching the rest of the show. And I'd hear her doing all the voices for characters she created based on the inspiration. I was so impressed by that, by the willingness to abandon the story being fed to her in order to rush off and make her own. And I have tried to learn from her example as much as possible. 

Now, I won't usually rush off, abandoning a show just when it was catching my interest, but I will take notes, with paper or on my phone, when a show inspires a thought or idea. And sometimes my poor husband has to pause the show and wait while I run to the office to type out a few paragraphs, so I won't lose a particularly good idea.  

Much as it did for my daughter when she was a child, often an idea springs from a small sliver of what I watched. It may be something a background character is doing. It may be something unique about the setting. It may be an odd turn-of-phrase in the dialogue, and my idea often bares only the most tenuous connection to what was on the screen. Those are the best bits of inspiration. 

Browsing Inspires 

I give a portion of each morning as I sip tea to browsing online. I may be looking at images in Pinterest. I may be reading through news headlines. I may be reading through submissions calls. But mostly I'm letting things wash over my brain. In this kind of situation, inspiration really is like a fog I'm walking through.  

Absolutely anything might inspire me, but on any given day, only a few things actually will. Some might not inspire my writing but will inspire other things I enjoy doing like drawing or decorating, but every drop of inspiration helps put my head in the right space for creation. 

I sometimes play a game called Sims 4. In this game, your character can go outside and lay on the ground and stare up at the sky. As a result, they get an inspired mood that helps them paint better pictures or write better books. So, I'm looking for that inspired mood in these early morning browses.  

At a glance, I might look like I'm wasting time when I'm browsing Pinterest or scanning book covers on an online bookstore, but I'm actually letting that inspired mood come over me so that when I begin my daily writing work, the outcome will be better. 

Recording Inspiration 

Vacation time tends to pour inspiration over me, and it's important to record the things that come to me. As a result, I always have a notebook and pen to jot things down. My daughter uses her phone the same way, using text to speech to make notes as bits and pieces come to her. This is such an important part of inspiration because that inspiration mood is often fleeting. Those sparks of idea burn out quickly if they aren't tucked away in a safe space. 

Sure, not every idea turns into a story; most don't, in fact. But none of the ones I forget can ever turn into a story. Instead, they turn into a regretful frustration as you're certain you had a great idea, but you've forgotten it and all you have left is the pain of missed opportunity. In all honesty, that great idea was probably not that great, but once you forget it, it often grows in potential in your mind. To avoid that kind of frustration, I capture these sparks for later consideration. 

I'm impressed by people who take a lot of photos on vacation. I can't do that. I find putting a camera between me and everything makes me miss more moments than they capture. For me, note taking helps me hold on to the memories far better because they can include all my senses. As a result, they can allow any bit of the vacation to inspire. I may be inspired by the sight of a bird in morning battle with a crab on the beach.  

I may be inspired by the scent of flowers that draw me to a bush that is positively buzzing with pollinators, making me realize that what called me (the scent) may have played a part in calling them as well, even though the plant had no interest in me. That's an idea I may want to explore later, so I jot it down. I can be inspired by the taste of a new food, or a scrap of overheard conversation. It's all potential, and it's all part of the inspiration cloud. I simply find that cloud is bigger and richer on vacation.  

Wherever you find your inspiration, it's vital to stay open to it. What inspires an amazing picture book idea in you might be something I would barely notice. Inspiration is personal that way. But the key for all of us is to keep walking through the clouds of inspiration. There are stories in there. You only have to let them find you. 

Related Articles for Inspiration

• The Seeds of Inspiration for Writing
• Need Inspiration to Write? Try Action.
• Trouble Getting Started? Try Picture Book Writing Exercises.