Writing inspiration is something I’m asked about a lot. Some authors may get bored of being asked it, but I never do. Knowing an author’s inspiration gives you an idea into how their imagination works and the often minor details that can spark off something massive. So for today’s post, I’d discuss the five things that can spark off an idea for me. Usually I say anything and everything (which is true!), but I wanted to be able to be specific about the sources. These are also in no particular order.
#1. My Everyday Life
99% of the time my stories are inspired by my own experiences. Take Elementia for example; I was 15/16 years old when I wrote it and it was a way for me to get over my horrible breakup. I incorporated a lot of my life and even myself into the novel as a way for me to move on from it. Even now, I still do this, but on a much smaller scale. Part of the idea for my debut stemmed from being bullied at school.
#2. Music
Music is another factor in my writing inspiration and depending on the type of music I listen to, it can affect how my stories go. I’m lucky in the sense that my music taste is incredibly broad; I can go from listening to the UK Top 40 to the most obscure music. Thanks to this, I’ve been able to produce a lot of my best work switching to different genres. I currently have a playlist of songs that have inspired me during the process of writing my debut novel and I will definitely be doing a post and video on it.
#3. Current Events
It’s pretty obvious that the world around me is another inspirational factor, especially in today’s climate. Donald Trump is president, there’s celebrity drama everywhere and then there’s Theresa May somehow still being in power. Not only this, there’s been lots of endless scandals and exposes that have fed into a lot of my work. A story idea I have was based on the countless stories I used to read in the newspaper of people murdering people and walking away free. People literally getting away with murder. It’s insane, but it’s good writing fuel.
#4. The Media
When I refer to the media I’m not talking about the actual newspapers and whatnot – I’m referring to things like films, tv shows and other books. Obviously you have to be careful; people may think that you’ve copied completely. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from tv shows, films, even other books. What matters is that it’s your own work and not just a carbon copy.
#5. Other people’s stories
This is probably the lowest source of writing inspiration on my list and it’s one I have sworn myself off for a long time. When I hear things happening to my friends, family, colleagues, my mind gets wondering and somehow ends up with a story. The majority of these stories however are not ones I actively pursue as the idea of basing my work off certain struggles close ones have is rather uncomfortable to me, no matter how good the story is. I have a brilliant story idea that’s based off something a close friend went though; it wasn’t a positive experience for anyone. Despite the fact that I knew it would be a fantastic story, I know I could never go through with it.
