Inspire Me

      Before you write a story, before you even pick up a pen, you have to be inspired. No piece has ever been written without some sort of inspiration behind it. There would be no passion, humor or emotion in the piece. Inspiration is what gives a piece of writing its spark.

        Where do you find inspiration? It is everywhere. We live in a world of emotion, tragedy and triumph, filled with people of all shapes, colors and ages. The atmosphere that surrounds us is constantly changing and as a witness to this, we will hopefully become inspired.

        In my experience with writing, I have categorized inspiration into two broad categories:

Inspiration from Experience

        This category is my comfort zone. By my definition, this is when you are inspired by something that you, or someone else, have experienced. You could be inspired to tell the true story, or to use their circumstances and emotions to create your own tale. Under this title you could be inspired by something minute such as watching a child pick a flower or a more life-altering moment like the death of a loved one.

Upon writing my first story for this class I was immediately inspired by the birth of my nephew and because I drew emotion and visuals from that day I was able to create a dramatic and honest story. That is what I enjoy about reading stories that were inspired by experience: they are completely genuine and often grab a hold of your heart strings, pulling you into the story.

Inspiration from Imagination

        In all honesty, I wish I was better at being inspired by my imagination. My definition for this category is when you are inspired by something you have seen, read, heard or even dreamt and then your imagination takes the reins. By the time your story begins you may have created a whole new world or given your characters amazing powers. These stories will take the reader to places he or she may never have thought of. It is a world where our struggles and tragedies are far away; it is an escape.

        Many people in my workshop have written stories such as these and as I read them I am amazed at the detail their imagination has incorporated into their writing. It may be something as simple as seeing a dog and wanting to create a character with a tail. If you can imagine it, you can write it. One of my favorite books, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, features characters with many different abilities that only she was able to dream up. If I ever had the chance I would love to ask her what her original inspiration was.

        As I said, inspiration is all around us and you may find it in the most unexpected places. One rule that I have always lived by and that I believe is so important for writers is this: Inspiration does not always come in a big bang, it can be found in the simplest of moments. Do not sit around waiting for inspiration to come along, do not give into writers block, just live your life and take the time to appreciate every moment. Your inspiration may be the driving force behind your story or simply assist you in writing the first line, but no matter what there can be no story without an inspiration point.