What inspires my writing?

 

What inspires you to write? Where do your ideas come from?

I get asked these questions a lot but for me there isn't one definitive answer, inspiration can come from quite literally anywhere! There are a few common triggers though so I thought I'd share them in this post.

Music.

Often I'll hear a song and get lost in the sentiment of it. When listening to lyrics something will just jump out and hit me, just one line that really catches my attention and a story idea will spark from that. Most recently it was the Shawn Mendes song "Imagination." That song just spoke to me, it really captured the essence of teen romance and the infatuation you feel as a young person when you imagine yourself with your crush and how you dream constantly of what could happen.

People.

I'm a real people person and I talk to anyone (I could talk England) so this is a very common trigger for me. Be it friends and family, someone online or even just someone I encounter briefly in the street who leaves an impression (good or bad) they often inspire a character or at least help me to develop an existing one in my head. As a writer I think engaging with a large variety of people is of paramount  importance to aid in building compelling characters because it gives valuable insight into what makes people tick and why. I'm quite a curious person and always psycho analyse people and their motives, I love to try to find what lies beneath and drives their behaviors and attitudes. It's fascinating. I don't base a character on anyone I know (I like making them up it's more fun) but I'll certainly borrow peoples positive traits or chronic flaws! I never create my protagonist to be anything like myself either because it's nice to be able to escape from my own head and see the world through someone else's eyes when I'm writing, although undoubtedly parts of myself slip in.

Locations.

Going to gorgeous places always inspires me to write. For example, visiting a lovely quaint little village will result in me dreaming up the cute love story that could take place there! Usually the characters and entire plot will just pan out in my head really quickly, like a bolt of lightening out of nowhere. I have to get a rough outline down on paper pronto when this happens so that I don't forget anything, and it usually happens when I'm busy working on a different book which is beyond annoying.

The universe / the night sky & space.

For me there is nothing more humbling that looking up into the vast and infinite blackness of the universe and I spend far too much time doing so! It inspires me greatly, especially when writing romance and thinking about fate and destiny. The odds of two people even existing at the same time on this one habitable planet, let alone then going on to meet each other by chance - it blows my mind and it's something I ponder over a lot. I guess I don't believe love is ever simply a coincidence because the odds are so highly stacked against it. This is what inspires me to write about the possibility of romantic destiny and soulmates so often in my works.

Escapism.

I'm a day dreamer! I suffer from quite severe anxiety and learned many years ago that I have a very over active imagination which makes me worry about crazy stuff that simply ain't ever going to happen and isn't worth worrying about! So these days I put my imagination to better use and instead of sitting and allowing my thoughts to consume me with fears of silly scenarios, I create nice stories instead! It's a fantastic form of escapism for us over thinkers!

Books / Movies.

When I see or read something really amazing it motivates me to want to create something amazing too. I guess it serves as a reminder that as a consumer I get a lot of enjoyment out of these things and it would be incredible as a writer to also be able to give that enjoyment to others in return. Occasionally I'll be inspired to write a fan fiction because the plot stopped on  cliff hanger and I want to explore how it would have played out had the writer continued the story!

I can't find what I want to watch or read.

You know when you just have a thirst for something in particular? Like that very specific desire? You want to read a romantic book with a particular trope that you're into but you also want the character to be a certain way and the love interest to be specific too but you just cannot find what you are looking for! Well that's often how my writing starts. I'll be looking for a book but nothing quite hits the spot, so I think to heck with it then, I'll just write my own!

What inspires you to write? Let me know in the comments!