A Writer's Journey: Finding Inspiration

When an artist sits down to paint, if he is good, he doesn't just paint the first thing that comes to his mind. He paints something that inspires him. A field of tiny white daisies on a warm summer day. A light mist of fog glazing over a calm blue lake. His little son and daughter playing in the mud.

A musician and song writer will find inspiration for songs they compose through life experiences or stories they hear from other people. When the song comes from their own story, and inspirations that they have grown passionate about, the song instantly becomes more meaningful and real.

The same goes for writing. A story is always better when the writer is passionate about what they write. If they haven't been inspired to write it, then they might as well not. And the wonderful thing about writers, is our minds are always searching for inspiration.

Everything we see, watch, encounter, do...can be inspiration for a story. A big part of a writer's journey, is ALWAYS being alert to your surroundings. You don't need to necessarily walk around or drive places thinking, "Okay, how will I find inspiration to put into a book today?" That's not exactly how it works.

But when you keep your mind open, it's amazing how many things or people you'll see, or places you'll go that will suddenly cause an idea to pop into your head. Maybe you'll overhear a conversation in a cafe, or see an odd looking tree while
going for a walk, or read a scene in a book, that will inspire you to turn it into your own story. Maybe you'll even have a crazy dream that will make an amazing tale.

Almost four years ago, I was babysitting and reading a children's book to the kids. I do not remember the title of the book. But it was a Thanksgiving story about a girl and her mother. Their apartment building had burnt down so they came together with many of their neighbors they didn't even know and had a big Thanksgiving feast. This grew them together and though many of them currently didn't have a home at the time, they were thankful to be able to come together and make new friends.

And that's where the first inspiration for my book came from. Though my novel I've been working on ever since, has changed so much, and has nothing to do with apartment buildings burning down, if it wasn't for that children's book, I'm sure I wouldn't be writing my book. The Thanksgiving element plays a huge part and ties in with other inspiration I've gathered in the last few years.

C.S. Lewis once took care of four children during WWII. This gave him the idea of four children finding a magical world in a wardrobe. He also kept having dreams about lions. Amazing how those dreams and the children turned into the absolutely beautiful 'Chronicles of Narnia' series.

So don't feel like you always have to have brilliant ideas that just come automatically from your brain in order to be a writer. The only ideas that turn into wonderful pieces of work come from inspiration.

 I would love to hear where you have found inspiration for stories or poems. Please comment and share!