Inspiration

Ah, Inspiration. Sometimes called the Muse.

Inspiration is where we authors get our ideas from. It's a weekly e-zine that's sent straight to our inboxes and it contains all the idea's we will ever need.

Seriously, though.

Inspiration is Over-rated

If we sat and waited for inspiration to strike us, very few people would ever write a word. 

Yes, sometimes we have sudden bursts of genius, but that doesn't happen enough to rely on it for everyday writing.

So we can't just sit around and wait for inspiration or our muse or the cosmos to hit us over the head with a great story. So, if you can't get on the Inspiration's e-mail list, you have to chase it down and beat it with a stick. How do you do this?

Observe

Watch the world around you. There are billions of people out there doing any number of things, and they are endless fodder for your novels. 

Watch the news. Watch the weather. Eavesdrop on stranger's conversations. Go people-watching at the nearest mall or walmart. 

Ask Questions

Don't just observe. Ask questions. Why did that woman do what she did? What would be the outcome? How could it possibly get worse? Question everything. Ask why? How? Who will it effect? Ask the obvious. Ask difficult questions. The answers may surprise you.

Keep a Journal

Or a notebook. Or anything. Just write down the observations you think are interesting. Write down the questions/answers that you think are good. Write them all down. Cut out clips from newspapers you think are interesting. Press leaves, color, scribble, draw, free write. This is the bucket for catching ideas. Keep it with you wherever you go. 

Well, that's what I have. 

Happy writing. (Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I slept late.)

I have dreams like you, no really.

"Just much less, touchy-feely".

Yeah, I just watched Tangled again. But this is perfect for today's blog post.

Dreams are SO important! You have no idea.

My NaNoWriMo novel this year, Tainted, came from a dream. Really. The dream was a girl (me?) watching the guy she claims as a brother, get burned to death. She (me) is a werewolf. She's so angry, she's beginning to shift. Her human friend tells her she has to run. To get away. That he's not her brother. She (I) took off running. That's when I woke up. That dream was nearly two months ago. It stuck with me. It inspired this novel.

And today, when I got in my six hours of sleep, I remember waking up once from a dream. It had to do with my plot. It was a really good plot idea. I thought "I'll write it down when I wake up for real." Guess what happened? I forgot.

Keep A Journal

Dream journal. I don't have one. I will from now on. This is not the first time I've had a dream where I go "That's a GREAT idea!" go back to sleep, and then forget. Seriously, keep a notebook and pen/pencil by your bed. 

When you wake up, even if you don't recall your dreams, try writing something. Anything. The mind is, for me, much more malleable early in the morning. If you're the opposite and are better at night, do it just before bed. But keep a journal. I have a notebook I carry with me everywhere. I have many ideas crammed in there. And bits of beginnings or middles. I have a list of random sayings from my Junior Year History teacher. He was funny. I have a list of possible chapter titles. 

Some of my ideas are very simple. One simply has a title (Point Taken) and three questions (Martial Arts? Pressure Points? Serial Murderer?) . Another is a title (Nexus) and one question (All magicians in the world connected?) Really, that one's just a magic system. 

Some of these ideas came to me at work. That's why I carry my bag with me everywhere. I also have a pocket sized notebook that I carry in my back pocket at work now, and a pen, obviously. 

I think that's all I have for today. 

Do you keep a journal of any kind?