Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.
One reason I love conducting, reading, and/or taking part in author interviews is because I often learn what inspires a writer and/or a particular tale of theirs.
Inspiration comes from many sources, which is immensely encouraging to any writer, but it does pay to know where the great “hunting grounds” are for it. It pays not to rely on it coming to you but by actively seeking inspiration, you are in with a much better chance of finding it.
This post looks at inspiration “haunts” I’ve found repeatedly useful and I hope you’ll find them useful too.
Books – Non-Fiction, Fiction, Books of Prompts and Lists
It’s an odd thing but I have found story ideas from being inspired by something I’ve read in a non-fiction book. I guess it is a case of the good old “what if” question getting to work here but it does need something to trigger it. Non-fiction can be a rich source of ideas here.
Fiction, across all genres, long and short forms inspire ideas. Sometimes it is because I’ve come across a character I really dislike and want to create a character of my own who is nothing like them at all. I’ve got my way into a new story idea here and I run with it. Sometimes I love a take on a classic fairytale, for example, and want to see what I can do with it myself. Sometimes character dialogue can spark other ideas. All good to run with, I find.
Then of course there are the books of prompts. These encourage you to think differently and I have a number of them at home. I’ve also had the joy of contributing to some of the Bridge House Publishing ones over the years. Do check them out. They’re good fun to work through.
Strange as it may sound, there are books of lists. The idea of these is to compile odd bits of information and a writer can use what they find here as prompts, basically. If you have, for example, a list of the most intelligent dogs (I’m afraid the jury is out on my lovable clown, Lady), why not place a dog like that in a story? Who would they be with? How would they show their intelligence? There is the beginning of a story outline then.
Also think about what you love reading and why that is. I love the classic fairytales as you know. The underdog gets help, justice is usually done (which is why I like most crime novels too), and the underrated either become the heroes or are disguised magical beings who prove who they are later in the story.
Now I can take what I love here, especially the idea of underrated characters coming into their own, and create my own characters like that. I am kind of using a template here based on what I know I like. What I then do with my character is up to me but I’ve got a way into creating a new story.
Asking The Right Questions – Kipling’s Honest Serving Men
Kipling was spot on with his honest serving men and they work just as well for non-fiction writing, as they do for fiction – What, Why, When, How, Where, and Who.
I would add in one more here – the classic What If as it’s not the same as the What question. But these wonderful questions are great for any kind of outline and in answering them, you will ensure your work, fictional or otherwise, will have a good structure to it.
Also it is a good tip to ask yourself what drives your characters. What do they love? What do they hate? What would they never do and how would they handle matters if they were faced with the real prospect they are going to have to do the thing they loathe?
Questions are a useful tool for all writers. It helps us think out our characters/story or article outlines. I think that gives our pieces more depth and I find doing this means I hit the ground running for fiction, especially, with characters where I know what motivates them and, therefore, what they are likely to do or say given any circumstance I choose to put them in – I usually do drop them right in it. It’s fun but it’s also where the story is.
Listening
In the last month or so, I’ve been out and about at various events and I usually go by train to them. Without in the least meaning to do it, I cannot help but hear snippets of conversation (especially on a usually busy train up to Waterloo!). Some odd bits I’ve heard have inspired story ideas in me (though the original speakers would never know. I change what they say but keep the essence of it. It’s that which gives me the spark I need to get started on a tale). The same would apply to being in coffee shops, restaurants etc.
What have you heard which has interested you? Could it spark an idea for a character of your own and, from there, a story to put them in? Sometimes you pick up things like this without knowing you have. You are writing a first draft and a thought “comes out of nowhere” but you know it will be good for your character so you use it.
Only later, do you recall having heard or seen something familiar to that thought elsewhere. You’re not alone when this happens but it can seem uncanny at times. It is just you picking up the inspiration which is out there though.
Music
Music is known to influence mood so why not use it to inspire your writing? Think about the moods certain types of music encourage. Now think of a character for whom those moods would be appropriate or their usual state of being. Now place them against a character for whom they wouldn’t be appropriate. The two characters have to face a situation together. Light the blue touch paper and off you go with a story!
Conclusion
These are just a few of the useful “hunting grounds” I turn to when looking to create new works. There are others. And don’t forget that old classic of write what you know isn’t just about factual knowledge. Your own experience of life can be useful in creating believable characters, for instance.
Above all, enjoy your writing. It is my belief an author’s enjoyment of that work does come through in their stories and articles. Okay, it may come through unconsciously but I know when I’m reading a book that is gripping me, I believe the writer must have had a great time in coming up with it (and then went through a lot of hard work to get it right of course).
Related Posts:-
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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