Inspiration

I was bored, so I decided to start this thread.

So, what inspires you to write something? A song, a picture, a dream? The possibilities are endless... a particular day, perhaps, or what you had for dinner the night before? Enlighten us with your inspirational experiences!

-Kaz

I'm inspired by a variety of things. It used to be that I got the majority of my ideas from songs, but I've always been a person to have less ideas compared to things written. Thats the contrary of most, isn't it? I know a lot of people who always talk about how many ideas they have.

For my current novel I suppose I got the idea because I wanted to write something that reminded me of Lolita but that wasn't Lolita. I hate copying things, or going into projects and trying to write like another author, they come out so bad. But I had gotten my idea months before I even started writing it, so by the time I began writing it and had the general plot laid out, it was far from Lolita (though some have mentioned a Nabokov feel to it.)

Then my idea, which I'm keeping in the back of my mind, possibly for a novel later of nanowrimo '07 came from my love of theatre from the 20's, 30's. Cabaret, vaudeville style theatres. Also, I love the movie Chicago, so the music really inspires me. I'm not exactly sure what this will be about, though... I want to set it up like a vaudeville, a novel with scripts, songs, dances, acts, etc. within it. Kind of a wild idea...

My ideas just pop up. Maybe I see something in a book I've been reading that seems curious to me? Or maybe something in the news sounds fun to retell. They kind of come out of no where..

But in all reality, I really do have less ideas than I wish I had.

Inspiration is a tough thing to nail down and label, isn't it?

Personally, I think in pictures, scenery, or lines of dialog. Very odd, but sometimes storylines and characters simply spring from those three things, dash at you and try to run off with your imagination. My inspiration comes in a steady stream of 'what if's and 'why's.

I've heard somewhere that many good stories come from the author's ability to make the characters suffer. Sometimes a wonderful story is born if you simply take the worst situation you can think of, and throw it at your character's head. I am thoroughly inspired by that notion. Not to sound cruel, of course!

All the best,

Goldie

I get inspiration one of two ways. The first is i'll just be watching a movie, reading a book, or just thinking about something, and an idea just pops into my head and I think: "Wow! That would be a good idea for.....". The other way is i'll get little snippets of ideas that kind of come together in my head a while later. Inspiration comes from everywhere for me.

I'll usually get my inspiration from anything, but I find that the inspiration is best when I, myself, have felt it. For example, the other day, I was sitting outside on my front porch, just sitting and reading, when I got the inspiration to write a short story. Just from sitting outside. I took all the things I had felt when I was lounging about ( i.e. the weather, the smell of the air, the sounds, the sights) and I wrote about it. Out of nowhere I got two characters that I am really fond of now, a pretty good story line, and three chapters already written. Weird, really.

Breezy 78 degree weather inspires me. Creeks inspire me. Children inspire me. Dreams, especially, inspire me.

It's really just a variety of things that inspire me--and they are hard to pinpoint. Sometimes inspiration comes from things you would never expect--like maybe someone drops their keys and suddenly I am overwhelmed with the need to write a story about how the drop of a key started a global movement about something. It's just random. I used to think I got a lot of inspiration from other people too, other than children, but more and more I am realizing I have no idea if I do or not...it's most likely not.

Inspiration lives in the shadow and in the sunlight...for me anyway.

I actually got this from a girl on Gaia Online (user: Balloon Lover) and it's a pretty good guide.

Literature - what have you read? did you like it? why?
Iimagination - what do you (day)dream about?
Folklore/mythology - what did they believe? why did they believe it?
Eexperience - what have you done? is there a story in it?

I've been big into the folklore/mythology piece lately.

Lately? Nothing.

Used to be that inspiration would come as a random thought at the most unexpected time. For me, it always takes a long time, but when it comes, it comes suddenly and violently.

So basically, it doesn't have a form for me. If there's a book or a movie that makes me feel like I want to write something, it never lasts long enough for it to be called actual inspiration.

There's really endless tings that inspire me. It could be a three-year old's toothless grin, a gorgeous butterfly's wings reflecting the sunlight, or a book I just finished reading. There's endless possibilities as to what can inspire me.

I find I mostly get my inspiration from other people and from my favorite classic novels. I'm a sucker for novels like Jane Eyre, Gone with the Wind (MY FAV!!!!!), and Pride and Prejudice. I also like adventure and historical fiction, so I soak up all the books I read, plus any experiences I may have with that particular culture. I'm fascinated by research and history, so I also get plenty of ideas from there.

Of course, my muse has the end-all decision. It's not like I get any freedom with it. ^_~

I usally play pretend with myself and some idea comes out. I also have found it is good to read what you are writing also watching movies works and mythbusters believe it or not i get ideas from it

A few drinkns tend to make me see things much hazier so i usually stick with Sci-fi stuff and life in general. I take a situtation and change it into what it could be if something was supernatural within it.

The world. 'Tis a pretty big place. And Life. Lots happens, all the time.

Emotions.

Any time I'm in a strange mood, or can't quite figure out how I feel...it makes me think. Or any time I'm particularly happy for no reason, particularly sad for so many reasons...or if I'm just confused or lost. My dad had surgery this week (he's okay now!) and that lead me to a really scary place that was strangely inspiring.

Whenever I used to hear this question I would say "everything inspires me" but that's just not true. Strong emotions do. They're the basis for every plot idea I've ever had. If I live a normal, typical day- I don't find it inspiring whatsoever. But if something happens and I feel a different way...those thoughts and emotions, they spark the idea- if I feel this strongly, other people must too- so how can I evoke this from a character? What could go on in that character's life or world that sparks the same emotion?

I finished a novel relatively recently, and it all started with a strong attachment to home- I was in high school thinking about life and what I was going to do- if I were going to college or not. I knew I would end up going, and I couldn't help but think about my sister's transition to college. She had the same attachment to home, but she ended up loving school. It almost seemed like a betrayal to leave and actually prefer it elsewhere- it was a betrayal to everything I had thought or planned or expected. And I didn't want to be the same- I didn't just want to forget my life at home, my past, my friends- everything I had ever known. So my character was born. It's a fantasy story, and it's not about a kid going off to college- but it does involve a character who leaves his home for a good reason, and finds himself feeling torn for so many reasons- unsure of himself and unwilling to forget his ties to his past when really it's what he knows he will eventually have to do anyway. That's a poor description of my story, but please bear with it because I intentionally avoid giving out details of my works unless I intend to post them- it's just an example.

I planned the story when I was 15ish but I was on and off with it until I made the transition to college myself. The emotions I had myself about my own transition brought the story to life again- the character was experiencing something I could completely understand, which means I could more easily write about it without making him fake or overdramatic...And what's funny about it is that the story isn't even a parallel to my own life at all. It was just that emotion that produced the basic idea- but the plot is so much more.

Life. Everyday experiences that happen to me, I imagine them happening to someone else in a slightly different situation, and then my imagination does the rest.

Most of my ideas come from being in boring situations, and me starting to daydream. I imagine what I'd rather be doing...how that could happen, add a few touches, then give it a few tweaks to change it totally.
Also, music. Definately music. I listen to a lot, and it helps if you can have it in your head at the most mundane times.

-ShadowTwit

What inspires me? Usually I'll just be listening to a song, or reading a book and I'll get a sudden urge to write. It also depends on what time it is and what mood I am in. I usually like to write at night, when I cant sleep I pull out my laptop and type away.