Creative Writing: Finding Your Inspiration

For an author, inspiration is not just a desirable thing; it’s an integral part of the creative writing process. No matter how much you are passionate about writing, there will always be days when you need inspiration from one muse or another, and sometimes, it can come from the unlikeliest sources. Every writer needs to find inspiration in order to produce inspired writing - whether it is in the form of a novel, short story, poetry, song or even a simple blog post or journal entry. Below are some of the most common sources of inspiration that can be used to produce a masterpiece. 

Books

You cannot be a good at creative writing if you’re not a voracious reader. Read something new, an old favorite or a piece from an author you haven’t heard of. Read something that sparks your emotions - something that inspires you and makes you laugh or cry. There’s nothing wrong with finding inspiration in the work of others. Reading what other people have written may be enough to spark a few ideas you wouldn’t have otherwise had. Just from looking at the way an author writes, you can come up with twists on their work and gradually transition into an entirely new creation. 

Nature and the Outdoors

Creative writing can also be inspired by leaving your current surroundings and trekking the outdoors. Take a walk in the park or go camping. Ride your bike or play with your kids in your backyard. Appreciate the rolling landscapes and sceneries you are surrounded with. Watch the insects crawling along plants and listen to the birds. Take a look at the simple things in life that adds to your creative processes. The sights, sounds, and smells of nature are all very powerful sources of inspiration. Try to see ordinary things from a new perspective, and you just might find inspiration for a new story. 

Something New

If you engage in the same activities every day, your creativity will come to a dead end. But trying something new will give you a different experience that may feed your inspiration. Spend some time creating something in with a medium other than words. It doesn’t have to be an extreme sport or death-defying trick – even simple things like painting, cooking or gardening can help you come up with new ideas for creative writing. You’d be surprised how one creative activity often leads to another. 

Dreams

Dreams are a fantastic and frequently untapped resource for inspiring creative writing. Just like the outdoors, to get inspiration out of your dreams, you need to engage with them. Dreams are considered a narrative composed of a cluster of unconnected thoughts, themes and impulses that concern and preoccupy you. Thus, they have the potential to fuel inspiring insights that belong to you and you alone.  The only challenge with gathering inspiration from dreams is the inability to remember them soon after awakening from sleep.  So it’s a good idea to keep a journal next to your bed.  This way you can capture the events right after you wake you, while they are still fresh in your mind.   

You don’t have to live an extraordinary life to find sources of inspiration for creative writing. They are all around you.  Like any resource worth having, the inspiration you need won’t arrive on its own.  Keep your eyes and ear open – always searching for inspirational sources. You’ll be surprised at how profound it can affect your ability to create a masterpiece.