Sunday 11 September 2011

Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration for stories?  


Stories are all around and it's difficult to avoid them.  The news is full of human tragedies, large and small, which can be the starting point or conclusion of your novel.  Many authors were inspired to write about 9/11, an event ten years ago this very day.  Personally I am more intrigued by the smaller but equally devastating tragedies which wreck people's lives.


Being a lover of history I get some ideas from events in the past.  There are hazards in poaching the past for ideas though.  People lived very different lives and unless you have thoroughly researched the period there are many pitfalls to watch out for. 


And music is a constant source of inspiration for me.  It stimulates a drama to unfold in my head like nothing else

1 comment:

Writer Pat Newcombe said...

My inspiration generally comes from things I feel strongly about. I have written stories about many aspects of life and I guess the strong emotions aroused when I read an article or newspaper report about something that I feel deeply about often inspires me to write something.