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Inspiration!

Calyb

Acolyte
What I want to know is, what do you think inspires you the most when writing?

For me, I am often inspired by experiences in life. For example, one of my aunts is a very strong woman, brave and resilient when facing life's challenges. But she also has an extreme phobia of spiders. Now a character in my book has the same, increasing her vulnerability in situations where she'd normally be strong, giving her character depth. It really helps when real life situations influence your writing!

In terms of general ideas, music helps a lot! I have a playlist that I listen to when writing - mainly songs that get me emotional by artists such as Evanescence, Cocteau Twins, The Smiths, John Lennon, Devotchka and so on. They help put me in the frame of mind to write scenes high in emotion and they seem to help open up the creative part of my brain!
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
Walking. That's what inspires me. I like the solitude to let me mind free wheel and then something clicks. It can be a tiny lizard facing me down on a path or a tree twisted in a strange shape.
My subconscious kicks in no doubt, but I'm not going to go there for any explanations as to why... :)
As for music - I'm going Classical for the moment. Glass, Mahler, Sibelius, Wagner, Mozart & Beethoven. The lack of words [for the most part or if they are they are German] lets my mind wonder about in what I think the music is about.
 
Walking, playing written games such as some of the baby name games you find on line. Reading a book I haven't finished reading and if all else fails I try to make a diagram of things within my stories world rather than write anything. So that way I might think of something else to add that goes well with what I have so far.

Music wise I like to listen to chill out music I guess that usually comes in three forms for me based on the style of it. That being Celtic, Pan pipe or Chinese/Japanese instrumental. What is sometimes regarded as symphonic metal by some is also good too.
 
Various types of music, people i know in my real life since a lot of my characters in current WIP are based on my friends, things history i find interesting.
 

kayd_mon

Sage
I feel like writing most when I have spent some time in a place that has a lot of nature. A park, the woods, the mountains, etc.
 

buyjupiter

Maester
Photographs. Especially of out of the way places, abandoned buildings, extreme weather, or abandoned objects. Black and white photos from WWII of half-destroyed buildings or of fog work too.
 

Addison

Auror
My motto is; Inspiration is everywhere and everything. Recently I passed a trailer park and got a brainstorm. Other times I'll just hear a lyric or a dialogue and that will spark something. Or I'll see a shape in the clouds or the leaves in the tree, a few times I've seen faces and things in the wall texture. Several times the tone and rhythm of a song will help. Or I'll just be working, making a burn pile or baking chocolate silk pie and a completely unrelated story idea will pop into mind. The best idea is to keep yourself open from your eyes, ears, mind and skin (the creepy chills and hairs standing up) open to everything.
 

Jabrosky

Banned
One short story I've just started came into mind after I read Robert E. Howard's Red Nails. In fact my plot is vaguely similar to his insofar as it features a male and female adventurer finding a hidden city in the jungle (albeit the plot from that point is intended to be fairly different; for one, it's not supposed to feature a civil war between the city's inhabitants). I guess this goes to confirm for you that reading other people's writing can do wonders for your own.
 

Caged Maiden

Staff
Article Team
I take most of my inspiration from stuff I see, do, hear, smell, and feel. I like to write with realism, in a way I believe some of my minor details will help readers deeply connect to my characters, and the way I feel most comfortable doing that is by using my honest experiences.

In one scene, for example, a character is nervous, seriously anxious, and being asked uncomfortable questions by her traveling companion. She searches the wood grain of the table for patterns, tracing oblong rings with her eyes in a vain attempt to comfort herself. I know it seems a weird thing, but I remember when I was young, doing just that.

In another scene, my characters get into a situation where spirits are hunting them in the forest and they have to run and find safety, in essence creating a sacred space. The next morning, they head on their journey and one of the crew, a blind priestess, gets super excited she found sage growing wild so she could brush her teeth, right at the most inappropriate time (if you've never done it, you should try brushing your teeth with a fresh sage leaf).

I have dozens more, little things I added because I like details that are from my life and maybe it just makes the story special to me, but I'd like to hope a reader will see the genuineness of my work and appreciate the realism I try to bring to fantasy tales.
 

TheokinsJ

Troubadour
Inspiration comes from everywhere- Movies I've seen, books I've read, my own life experiences- but mainly from just a thirst for knowledge and learning. When I was nine years old, I became obsessed (and still remain obsessed to this day) with ancient history. I started reading every book I could get my hands on about the greeks and the Romans, old legends like the Iliad by Homer and Jason and the Golden fleece. As I grew older I became for fascinated by different eras in history- The Dark ages, the Middle Ages, the wars of the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings, The Russian Revolution, The Napoleonic wars- Everything. History is my biggest inspiration, there are so many cool stories and legends in history and mythology, so I've been inspired to write my own.
 

SM-Dreamer

Troubadour
Music, books, anime/manga, tv, movies, something my wife writes (poetry), something my cats do... Honestly, anything can be inspirational to me. Especially long car drives. I find that I can think through things in my stories/plot/characters/world when I'm driving, especially a particularly scenic drive.

Though that could also be because I'm alone and can talk to myself without getting weird stares. :D
 

buyjupiter

Maester
Documentaries. Never underestimate what kind of material you can get from a good documentary. I've been watching Morgan Spurlock's new series and spent one episode plotting out what might happen when...and ignored the rest of the episode for the most part. I can usually set aside an idea until I can work on it, but with that idea, I wanted to figure out the implications right then and there.
 

Asterisk

Troubadour
Tumblr, where I keep a collection of pictures related to my novel. Music. And I've favorited inspiring articles about young authors and their success, enough to boost my spirits when I feel like writing has no point.
 
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