Getting inspiration

It happens that way with me too, Moxie. Often it's the least little thing that one sees when out for a walk: a feather on the pavement, a bumble bee, an advertisement in a shop window... When I need inspiration I just go out, or switch on the radio, or pick out a book from my shelves at random and I KNOW that the answer will come, and it does: synchronicity and serendipity. Today I was riding on a bus and there was this guy holding a conversation with himself, just talking away. I couldn't hear what he was saying from where I was sitting except to pick out the profanities. I'm sure there's material there.

Andrew: I'm moving to hull in september: terrific...not looking so forward to it now! lol Music does work well for inspiration, I agree. Though sometimes I find it distracting. It just depends. My other times are usually when I'm outdoors, even if it's a simple thing of looking up at the clouds: there is something magical about them and it always makes me think about things. And if I'm walking home in the rain, somehow that just gets the juices flowing. Then of course there's dreamworld, plenty of zany ideas! I don't dream so much anymore tho :(

I went on holiday the other day, and I was standing on top of a cliff, and I just looked down and I thought 'You could just write about someone doing this, what they're thinking in a different situation'. If you're stuck for ideas I think that you can pick a headline from the newspaper, read the article, and then write the main people's perspectives of that 'incident' down. I'm meaning to say, that even if you're not going to take it anywhere, you can do it for yourself, to get yourself writing, and while you are, you may find yourself coming up with new ideas. Another way of doing this, just to get your writing mind working, is writing something known as fanfiction - stories based on television shows, and the characters. The characters are already made, you know most things about them, and some of the plots are already developed, why not come up with an ending that you'd like to see? Or toy and change the character or situation completely? Why not? Whatever helps!

Everything is inspiring.. except rabbits and Hull. Apart from that everything else is inspiring.. current faves are X-Rays, escalator hand rails, the face of the newspaper seller outside London Bridge station, The first three letters in BURGER KING, anything at the corner of Tanners Hill and New Cross Road, the graffiti on the tills at work and slugs. Maybe not everything then.. er..

I think I'll write a story about some rabbits that live in Hull, maybe call it "Rustyship Dock" or something... Inspiration comes from anywhere; with me it's often a half-story in a newspaper such as the one about a lady who had been deceived by a man impersonating her husband. "How?" was my immediate response, so I set about answering my own question. A letter writer declared that "Love's like a cake", and I shamelessly nicked her wisdom as a story title. One which gained the Story Of The Week, "House Rules", came to me in a dream; in my sleep I'd been reliving that poignant time at the end of my degree when we were all disappearing home one by one, in some cases never to see each other again and I wanted to capture not so much the storyline as the aching mood. Sometimes I deliberately try to reverse a well-trodden formula; a "three wishes" story which blesses the receiver, a vampire who won't kill people and is really looking for love, old ladies who turn the tables most ruthlessly, erotica that isn't what it seems and no, I haven't posted all these yet. This doesn't always work; I spent ages researching the vampire story on websites with red writing on black pages before conceding that my story was totally unconvincing. But he's still in my mind. There's areas where anyone can write without too much research, episodes based on childhood, school days, love life, hobbies, work - the challenge is to make them interesting. Obviously, read a lot. Find stories that stir your imagination. Don't forget poetry, travel books,etc. Have fun; do it for yourself first of all and if anybody else likes your work it's a bonus.

Ok... uhmmm... you're all right, of course, everything's inspiring, it just depends on your mind's attitude I suppose. But... I forgot to say that I'm writing a fantasy novel, so... in my case I suppose inspiration is a different matter. I mean, you live in reality but you're going to write a story which may have nothing to do with reality, so? What to do to find the best way to create, to build scenes and characters? And how to do it making it as much original and new and inovative as possible? How to do it good? That's not as easy as it seems, 'cause we've got a wide universe to explore, too wide, how not to get lost inside fantasy and carry out a wonderful story? That's a fair question, I suppose... And I believe the only way to do it is by mere "writer'r instinct"! How about this theory???

In the middle of a really, REALLY boring Algebra class, on the old wc or all alone in your house with nothing to do after you've just watched a good movie. That's where my ideas generally come from. Or, if you're like me, your very own parallel universe can contain a wealth of ideas. All you have to do to get there is take a nap, sit quietly and think, daydream, or fall asleep.

I mainly get inspiration as a gift. It just comes to me in a picture of a scene and the dialogue and characters just fit into that feeling I get from that scene. Historically I've found most inspiration from just going out and doing things when feeling creative. Then when I get back home I can write them clearly and capturing the essence of what I've experienced. Today I did just that and wrote 15 good pages about what happened. Also I get much inspiration from my favorite authors. No need for me to mention my favorites we all have our own favorites. Just take inspiration in the things that inspired your idols. Mike Hoy

hey tonsilboy how are you just read how you get your inspiration sounds interesting!so what do you write about get back to me!

Go for a really long walk. If where you live is anywhere like here, you'll see 'inspirational' stuff all the time. Today I saw: A stoned bloke repeatedly searching under a bench for scraggy fag-ends. Then talking to his friend about leveling someone with a hose pipe. A dead baby rabbit, flies hovering around the wound on its neck A big guy get out of a white cable van and hammer on the windows and garage of a house - and the upstairs window was open. A little girl running, falling flat on her face + bursting into tears. A kid kick a football over some scaffolding under a bridge, clamber up + over, kick it back and nearly kill himself climbing back. A woman with white shaving foam still caked around her chin. A shop assistant hissing to her friend on the till next-door that her supervisor was coming. (If wet stay indoors and move scenic postcards across your field of vision)