How do we get ‘inspired’?
Hang around any writer for any length of time and you’ll start hearing them talk of their ‘Muse’ and whether the ‘Muse’ is working or not, meaning whether they’re feeling inspired to write or not.
It’s one thing that a lot of writers say they struggle with. Where to get the inspiration for their work?
Where can the inspiration for a good article, or story come from?
Ask any three writers, and you’ll get at least three answers, and that’s just if you give them a few minutes only.
I’ve got two novels out now (the second was published just a month ago) and the ideas for them came from different places.
The first was a writing exercise a few years ago. I was doing a paper on creative writing and did a story about a guy stuck in a jail cell, okay the final story was very different, but that’s where it started!
Here’s the first
The second was just having lunch by the lakeside in Rotorua, it just looked ‘right’ for a helicopter approaching at night, lights off, the rest you’re going to have to read the book for.
This one I’m really proud of
Take a minute to think about your day, the people in the checkout at the grocery store, ever wondered what their day was like? How about the coffee shop?
Writer’s ‘block’ is real, and it does happen, but when it does there’s a few things we can do to ‘unblock’ those pipes. Anything from taking a walk to just picking up the newspaper and take a few minutes just to sit and think about what we just read, you’ll be amazed at the results.
How about this for a plot. A top secret establishment is hacked, in the hack a number of software files are stolen that then appear when they’re used to cripple thousands of companies and demand ransom, the plot is only foiled by a twenty something spotty, four eyed geek who’s still living with Mum and Dad sees the email and finds the ‘kill code’. What about that for a story? By the way, it happened this week! Just think where the story could go? Sadly I’m already working on another novel, but maybe I’ll hold that back and come back to it.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, all we need do is ‘open our eyes’ and see what they show us.
So let’s take a look around, and see where the inspiration leads.
One final thing, North Korea might actually be involved in the hacking scam…..
Lawrence's letters 