We writers can sometimes get stymied, flummoxed, and run into the proverbial writer’s block. What to do? Simple! Look around for inspiration.
And for you readers, have you ever wondered where an author’s inspiration came from for that romance, horror story, mystery, science fiction, or other work of fiction? Some pull it out of a deep recess in their brain, often planted there over the years by what the author had seen in real life around him/her, heard on some medium, or read in various forms during those years. That’s certainly the case for me. I’m at an age when my brain is totally stuffed with such items, but adding to that are things I continue to see and read and hear.
Learning to pay attention to such things can help any author overcome or entirely avoid the dread writer’s block. This is especially important for those who have limited time for writing.
A Few Examples from My Own Writing
In Wind Down the Chimney and Other Eerie Tales:
Mr. Dilby’s Library—this was inspired by my hubby who suggested the general idea which I then fleshed out, creating the library and the characters.
Wind Down the Chimney—I wanted to write a ghost story and was watching an old Sherlock Holmes movie with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce called “Sherlock Holmes Faces Death.” In an early scene, Dr. Watson (Bruce) comes out of a room, calling for the butler. A gust of wind has just blown down the chimney, filling the room with smoke.
The Rube Goldberg Murder Club—years ago, I heard about Rube Goldberg and the various rather complicated devices he had contrived for simple tasks, so a club where the members try to devise complicated ways to carry out what would otherwise be simple murders seemed natural.
In The Stardust Alliance and More:
Sally’s Destiny—this tale grew out of my growing concern over the technology known as artificial intelligence (AI) which is really just artificial programming.
If Looks Could Kill—came from that expression which a character in a movie said (can’t remember off-hand since I started this story many years ago).
A Long Way from Arach—I killed a spider in the bathroom and had a thought flash: what if that spider was the size of a pony?
In The Wiccan Tales (a novel):
Basically, I wanted to write about Wiccans to show the difference from witches, but it quickly slipped into the fantasy realm as I got caught up in some of the things I read online.
Your Turn
What have some of your inspirations been?
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Thanks for reading. Please check out my book of recently published eerie short stories (ebook, paperback, audio), my book of eerie Sci-Fi stories (Kindle and paperback), and my third book (a novel) called The Wiccan Tales. A real Halloween treat. All from Wordwooze Publishing. (I designed the covers.)
Watching animation (it's been great for helping me to learn to write for kids and teens). Often times, I might spot more than once a minor character who appears in the background but has no onscreen lines, and I will try to convert them into an actual literary character.
I'm an archaeologist, so a lot of my inspiration for SciFi stories comes from human evolution and from complexity theory. Humans are very bad at predicting the consequences of our actions, and that leads to interesting and unfortunate dynamics that you can see develop in the long-term of human history. I just project them into future settings in story cycles like An End of Our Own Making.
Other stories, like King Wolf, I am inspired by the people and places I encounter when I do northern fieldwork.
For stuff like Sal's Place, I tend to be inspired by film noir, Hammett, Chandler, etc.
My inspiration is all the difference types of media I can consume. I also have a big interest in psychology so I get a lot of story ideas when reading articles or watching videos that center psychology
Fabulous! I get some inspiration from media but then twist it in my own unique way. And psychology can play a big role in literature. What characters are like. Their motivations. The root of their current personalities. Etcetera.
*A Diabolical Bargain* began when a character gave his backstory in a comic book. I thought it was more interesting than the foreground story. Then I had to build up the rest of the story because it was not complete.
*The Princess Seeks Her Fortune* was inspired by all the "fairy tale" mashups that include only the Pop Top 20 tales. It includes far more than that, and indeed, I did my best to keep the Pop Top 20 out. (Tropes overlap so much that I can not assert I completely succeeded in keeping them out.)
"The Lion and the Library" was inspired by a historical account of a practice in the Mid-East. Then I had to figure out how to rescue the guy.
I openly admit that I draw inspiration from other stories I read. After all, fiction is not created in a vacuum. All stories are built on the stories that came before them. I'm also inspired by music.
Rube Goldberg....whenever my dad would tackle a home repair, I heard my mom mumble under her breath, "I suppose we'll be applying the Rube Goldberg method" -Much to her dismay.
Can I read your Rube Goldberg Murder Club? Is it available on your Stack?
Motorcycle rides. When I ride my motorcycle and listen to music, I get a lot of ideas for writing.
My son. Watching him grow up makes me think of science fiction stories where I try to imagine what he will experience in the future. When I probably won't be able to protect him anymore.
Thanks, A.C., I liked a lot this chatting together.
Good point. Some people sit in cafés and watch and listen. I can’t bring myself to do that. And I don’t have children, but that sounds like a fab source. As for protecting him, at some point he has to stand on his own. Thanks for sharing.
Whether in music, art or writing, I've long felt that I've got any number of ideas floating around my head at any given time, almost like butterflies waiting for me to catch them when the time's right. Some are older, some more recent – but there's never a shortage: A good one (or 3) always comes... which I suspect is a reflection of my expectation that they always do.
From the Idea Fairy. She's like the Tooth Fairy in reverse. Each night I put a quarter under my pillow and wake up with some idea of how I became broke. She looks a lot like my cat because -- say it with me -- muse.
Inspiration comes from everything for me. My teen and all that glory, my mental health, everyday beauty from walking outside, cloud reading, music, social media & real life interactions, memories, therapy, hearing other people’s stories, and the list goes on.
I get inspired by people who I have observed closely, especially older ones as their stories are longer and interesting. Being an architect I also get attracted to spaces and places especially old buildings with history and character.
O yes. In the picture story book Paani Party that I wrote in 2021, there is a vivid description of the child's house, the window seat where he has the conversation with his grandpa and so on. I even insisted on a certain architectural character for the illustrations.
My ideas are like having too many tabs open in the browser. They come from all over the place. Sometimes I try to bookmark the page that gave me the idea, sometimes I screenshot and put it in a folder - and this is true for both my art and writing. Of my published things:
My Fuzzy Friends Learning series under my pen name (Eppie Gray - it's not hidden) was from homeschooling for many years and not finding very many bright, fun books anymore. They are also good for people with dementia and Alzheimer's, or strokes, if they have to relearn a lot, because I try to make the scenery as "photographic" as possible, as it is easier for them to grasp something that looks real. (At least that is what some of the experts say.)
For the stories so far under my name:
"Hazardous Magic" came from an idea from an RPG universe that I made up.
"Dum Dums and Dragons" came from leaning into all the old AD&D tropes and twisting them a little.
Some things are inspired by prompts for anthologies like my story for Once Upon A Future Time Vol 4, which was inspired by "The White Snake" fairy tale.
So, ideas are everywhere, it's finding the browser tab that has the music playing and shutting it down so I can hear my characters tell their stories.
Nice. Great to show that different types of fiction come from different inspiration. I’ve heard that short fiction (flash fiction) is good for people who are mentally declining. I’ve had several relatives in that condition. Sad to see, but whatever mental stimulation they can get is good.
Watching animation (it's been great for helping me to learn to write for kids and teens). Often times, I might spot more than once a minor character who appears in the background but has no onscreen lines, and I will try to convert them into an actual literary character.
Ah, yes, it’s good to get inspired by something that fits what you write!
I'm an archaeologist, so a lot of my inspiration for SciFi stories comes from human evolution and from complexity theory. Humans are very bad at predicting the consequences of our actions, and that leads to interesting and unfortunate dynamics that you can see develop in the long-term of human history. I just project them into future settings in story cycles like An End of Our Own Making.
Other stories, like King Wolf, I am inspired by the people and places I encounter when I do northern fieldwork.
For stuff like Sal's Place, I tend to be inspired by film noir, Hammett, Chandler, etc.
Wow! Great way to incorporate your field of study/endeavor into your writing! Thanks for sharing.
My inspiration is all the difference types of media I can consume. I also have a big interest in psychology so I get a lot of story ideas when reading articles or watching videos that center psychology
Fabulous! I get some inspiration from media but then twist it in my own unique way. And psychology can play a big role in literature. What characters are like. Their motivations. The root of their current personalities. Etcetera.
Let's see.
*A Diabolical Bargain* began when a character gave his backstory in a comic book. I thought it was more interesting than the foreground story. Then I had to build up the rest of the story because it was not complete.
*The Princess Seeks Her Fortune* was inspired by all the "fairy tale" mashups that include only the Pop Top 20 tales. It includes far more than that, and indeed, I did my best to keep the Pop Top 20 out. (Tropes overlap so much that I can not assert I completely succeeded in keeping them out.)
"The Lion and the Library" was inspired by a historical account of a practice in the Mid-East. Then I had to figure out how to rescue the guy.
Quite an array! Sounds like you do some of what I do (I use sci-fi, horror, and other genres as inspiration, though). Thanks for sharing.
It helps, I find, to change the genre. The comic book was not high fantasy, but Bargain is.
I openly admit that I draw inspiration from other stories I read. After all, fiction is not created in a vacuum. All stories are built on the stories that came before them. I'm also inspired by music.
Yeah, we build on each other. As long as you give it your personal touch, that’s great.
"Flummoxed" ...I love that word.
Rube Goldberg....whenever my dad would tackle a home repair, I heard my mom mumble under her breath, "I suppose we'll be applying the Rube Goldberg method" -Much to her dismay.
Can I read your Rube Goldberg Murder Club? Is it available on your Stack?
It’s published in the Wind Down the Chimney book.
Sounds like the perfect October read. I'm on it
Gee, thanks!
A real story burns. It burns inside and whispers to be told. It isn't always fully formed. In this piece
https://mikekay.substack.com/p/wyrd-of-the-despised
The story haunted me. It rode me like a ghost. It didn't rest until I did my best to honour it, and bring it into the world.
Listen to others. People are a wealth of stories.
Motorcycle rides. When I ride my motorcycle and listen to music, I get a lot of ideas for writing.
My son. Watching him grow up makes me think of science fiction stories where I try to imagine what he will experience in the future. When I probably won't be able to protect him anymore.
Thanks, A.C., I liked a lot this chatting together.
Good point. Some people sit in cafés and watch and listen. I can’t bring myself to do that. And I don’t have children, but that sounds like a fab source. As for protecting him, at some point he has to stand on his own. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks to you, A.C.
Whether in music, art or writing, I've long felt that I've got any number of ideas floating around my head at any given time, almost like butterflies waiting for me to catch them when the time's right. Some are older, some more recent – but there's never a shortage: A good one (or 3) always comes... which I suspect is a reflection of my expectation that they always do.
Interestingly, I just recently published a post that has a whole section about “where ideas come from” and how the “download” happens for me. Bit of a long post, but here's a link to that specific section: flintstitch.substack.com/i/146756425/grabbing-hold-of-the-golden-thread
Unrelated: I enjoy this “discussion post” format – strikes me as a happy medium between a post and a Note! 🙂
Yeah, I have those “butterflies” in my head, too. Thanks for sharing.
From the Idea Fairy. She's like the Tooth Fairy in reverse. Each night I put a quarter under my pillow and wake up with some idea of how I became broke. She looks a lot like my cat because -- say it with me -- muse.
Meow! Do I get a quarter?
You get more than that... sales on Amazon.
Good kitty! Goooood kitty! Prrrrrrrrr....
Hooray!
Its hard. Oftentimes, any random idea pops in my head that requires an alphanumeric keyboard.
Thanks for sharing this!!
Inspiration comes from everything for me. My teen and all that glory, my mental health, everyday beauty from walking outside, cloud reading, music, social media & real life interactions, memories, therapy, hearing other people’s stories, and the list goes on.
Great! Inspiration from the world around you.
I get inspired by people who I have observed closely, especially older ones as their stories are longer and interesting. Being an architect I also get attracted to spaces and places especially old buildings with history and character.
Neat. Do you find yourself focusing on describing those spaces and places in your fiction?
O yes. In the picture story book Paani Party that I wrote in 2021, there is a vivid description of the child's house, the window seat where he has the conversation with his grandpa and so on. I even insisted on a certain architectural character for the illustrations.
Wonderful!
My ideas are like having too many tabs open in the browser. They come from all over the place. Sometimes I try to bookmark the page that gave me the idea, sometimes I screenshot and put it in a folder - and this is true for both my art and writing. Of my published things:
My Fuzzy Friends Learning series under my pen name (Eppie Gray - it's not hidden) was from homeschooling for many years and not finding very many bright, fun books anymore. They are also good for people with dementia and Alzheimer's, or strokes, if they have to relearn a lot, because I try to make the scenery as "photographic" as possible, as it is easier for them to grasp something that looks real. (At least that is what some of the experts say.)
For the stories so far under my name:
"Hazardous Magic" came from an idea from an RPG universe that I made up.
"Dum Dums and Dragons" came from leaning into all the old AD&D tropes and twisting them a little.
Some things are inspired by prompts for anthologies like my story for Once Upon A Future Time Vol 4, which was inspired by "The White Snake" fairy tale.
So, ideas are everywhere, it's finding the browser tab that has the music playing and shutting it down so I can hear my characters tell their stories.
Nice. Great to show that different types of fiction come from different inspiration. I’ve heard that short fiction (flash fiction) is good for people who are mentally declining. I’ve had several relatives in that condition. Sad to see, but whatever mental stimulation they can get is good.
And now I am wondering if I have visible mental decline due to @A.C. Cargill's comment...
Lol!
Never! Or if you do, I certainly do, too. Hee!
Giggle!