Inspiration

I had a bit of a whirlwind weekend, but it's too soon to go into much detail about it, so instead I'd like to talk about inspiration. What inspires you in your writing? Do you base stories on real events, whether in your personal life or in the world? Are you ever inspired by a picture or a song? What helps those creative juices to flow?

There are many things that inspire me. I do use certain situations from my personal life to help write scenes or to bring characters to life. My second manuscript is inspired, at least in part, by my first love and the loss of my mother. I've always been fascinated by the legend of the cardinal and I thought it would be an interesting premise for a story. There's a mixture of real and imaginary in the novel, which I think makes it more believable. An idea for a third book came about last year when I received an unexpected email from an old friend. Sometimes, inspiration is as simple as revisiting a situation in my life and asking "what if?" Perhaps my writing would be described in some ways as wish fulfillment. I think of it more of the musical "If/Then." I was never fortunate enough to see it, but I understand the premise due to the soundtrack and reading a summary. The main character's life goes in two different directions based on choices she's made. For my third novel, the idea was inspired by the idea of what would have happened if I had chosen a differently. The premise usually starts that way, and then the characters and plot fill in from there. So, while the inspiration may be based on wish fulfillment or a real situation, the story is entirely fiction.

Of course, this is mostly for fiction, either short stories or novels. When it comes to poetry, I'm usually inspired by nature. I've written many poems, and some creative essays, about the ocean. Unfortunately, with the last year+ of the pandemic, I haven't gotten out much. But I'm going to the beach this weekend, so maybe I'll be inspired to write some poetry while I'm there.

Sometimes, I need a little help with providing inspiration, like when I was trying to write a Christmas story last summer. It's difficult to be in the holiday spirit when it's 90 degrees outside. But my MFA tutorial professor at the time suggested decorating my room for Christmas to help set the mood. I bought a light up tree and it did help a little, but then I wrote most of that story during #NaNoWriMo, which happens in November and thus made it easier to write about Christmas. For my current #WIP, I bought two posters of cardinals in snow, and those have aided my writing significantly. 

So, what inspires your story ideas? Do you have photos, a soundtrack, or an object that helps you get into the frame of mind for writing? Share your thoughts below!