inspiration

doh, I put this post in the wrong section, sorry!

Not necessarily Emily, often reading writings from elsewhere can spark an idea or a thought that inspires can they not? I haven't written for ages because of mid life crisis angsty poetry is all that emerges at present, and I'm not happy with that. Both the poetry and the mid life crisis :-)) I find an overheard conversation can also inspire an idea or train of thought, so it helps to be interested and have your curiosity aroused by one's fellow man.

I just finished listening to the audiobook version of Stephen King's "On Writing." It was wonderful, especially since Stephen King himself performed the narration of his own book. He addresses your question: if you want to write, you must read a lot. I find that to be true. I read a lot, as probably do many people on this site, and that will generate a lot of ideas. The other things is to live. My own experience is that the passage of years, assuming I'm awake and paying attention, is a source of ideas all by itself. I don't see a quick fix for that. King also talks about the old dictum: write about what you know. He agrees, but only if you broaden the concept of "know" so it extends way beyond what you literally know, to include things about which you can write honestly and with some experience, even if indirect. I hope this helps. The audio version of this book is not available directly outside the U.S. at this time, but you can probably find the hard copy at a library. It is well worth reading.

Since childhood, I've always enjoyed writing - from being a daydreamer in the classroom to being inspired by life and people as I've grown up. Writing is a great form of communication, enabling a writer to take a step back from any situation and find out what is really going on! It's probably adviseable to write about "what you know" or any personal experiences, however, fantasy, sci-fi or "twilight zone" would never have been written, if it hadn't been for dreamers. So Emily, why not go for it and break all the rules?

i think i'd agree - reading and personal trauma! :-) it also helps to talk with other writers. if you read the galleries on abc you are bound to find writers that you enjoy, and who are perhaps writing the kind of stuff that you aspire to write yourself. it is well worth striking up an email correspondence with them.

Oh, I do agree with all of you. Reading is important and drawing from our own lives. Sometimes I find that simple things inspire me. I might get inspired sitting and watching people. I might get inspired seeing a picture of something. You never know where it will come from.

I have had a really big problem trying not to write teen angst poetry and stories. Sometimes when I am doing nothing in particular I am inspired to write something happy. So I grab a pen and paper and let the poem or story create itself, but I find that it mutates into something that has a very unhappy or depressed undertone. So, nowadays, I practise by writing about something I observe that is boring and I try to make it sound interesting and exciting for a reader. I also like writing about science fiction. It is something which is created by you and has no resemblance to the reality we all live in. It is easier to stick to a humourous or happy plot. I have tried this once or twice so far and it works. I just hav'nt put any of it on abctales yet. I'm still plucking up courage. Unfortunatelty the library does'nt allow alchohol.

I find it difficult to write more upliftng stuff, and when I did post something about love, the good side, it got panned by readers.....my more angsty stuff has been received a lot better.....people seem to like the more angsty stuff....I don't know why.....any ideas ?

Same reason people prefer bad news to good - we all like to think someone else is having as crap a time as we are! Seriously though, conflict, anger, general 'angst' - it does tend to engage the mind more. Or maybe you just do angsty very well, Martin!

I go for a long walk in the countryside with my notebook and pen. When I find a really peaceful place I sit and write about my surroundings, and my thoughts. And notice how my surroundings and my thoughts affect each other. I do this mainly spontaneously. Just writng down the first words that pop into my head. Just being out of the house and somewhere quiet and where the air is fresh connects me with my creativity. or I take a long bus journey somewhere. and watch the sights roll passed the window, and with pen and paper write about how it makes me feel. sometimes I go out to a cafe and sit there and watch the world around me. Watch the people, listen to the conversations, practise describing people and their mannerisms. I copy it all down in my notebook, like sketching. other times I go to art galleries and look around them. I basically go out somewhere for the day. Like taking my writing on a date or something. Later I look through my notebook and choose which sketches I like the best. then like a painter I put them onto canvas and add colour and depth to them and then breathe life into them. Thats what I do anyway, it doesn't work for evryone though. I think the best thing to do with writing is experiment, and have fun.

Angsty can be good if it's treated with irony - Bobblehat 2000's 'Darren Doesn't Love me Any More' at http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=2060 being a classic example (you *have* to see him read it - he's a genius of presentation) And sometimes angst stuff only seems angsty at the time - there's stuff I wrote and was embarrassed about at the time, then found years later and it wasn't bad. Then again, there was a lot more that was unutterable drivel... However, good writing should come from honesty and emotion, both of which can be found in angst. If you're trying to write in a different style, try writing as someone else. (I once wrote a piece of prose that was the 'coy mistress' response to Andrew Marvell's poem 'To His Coy Mistress' . I was pleased with it - although I freely admit it was a bit pretentious - let me off, I was studying creative writing at the time!) Or try writing in the style of a writer you know well (something Wendy Cope has experimented with a lot)