Earlier this week, my friend Kristen wrote a blog post sharing where she finds inspiration and how her story ideas develop. Her post got me thinking about my own sources of inspiration.
I wish I could tell you that my stories come to me in brilliant epiphanies, all neatly structured and developed and ready to jot down on paper. "I just dreamed it up one night," I'd say, nonchalantly. Or, "it came to me while I was eating sushi and I frantically scribbled it down on a dirty napkin." But, alas, that hasn't happened yet. While I do have the occasional flash of inspiration … a piece of dialogue here, a random description there … the stories themselves come together slowly and I usually dwell on an idea for months before it starts to morph into a cohesive plot.
My ideas are like seeds that require lots of pruning and nurturing in order to grow into something beautiful. And, they usually come to me via one of three sources …
1. My Travels
My husband, Alan, and I love to travel and we try our best to travel often. Sometimes, when airlines offer great discounts and we have enough air mile points to redeem, we escape to a faraway place like Hawaii or France. Most of the time, though, we hop in our little red Mazda and head off to explore all that the west coast has to offer. Regardless of whether we're flying through three time zones or driving an hour down the highway, travelling never ceases to inspire me.
Who lives here? What are their lives like? What would my life be like if I lived here? What words could I possibly use to describe this gorgeous sunset over the lagoon? How can I capture the sights and sounds of Pier 39 in San Francisco or Grand Place in Brussels? What took place here - or, what could take place here?
I have an insatiable case of wanderlust and reading allows me to travel all over the world, if only for an evening. I'm a huge fan of books where the setting becomes a character in its own right (the Louisiana bayou in The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells comes to mind as a perfect example) and I strive to accomplish this in my own writing. When I stumble across a corner of the world that I love, I want nothing more than to bottle it up in a mason jar that I can bring home and gently pry open whenever I'm feeling nostalgic. Writing is a way for me to do that. I journal A LOT when I'm away on holiday and my random musings often find their way onto the pages of a story.
I also love living vicariously through my characters and have been known to come up with story ideas set in places that I'd love to visit someday. I'm a tad OBSESSED with the idea of writing a book set on a lavender farm in Provence, France for no other reason than I myself want to visit a lavender farm in Provence someday. I have the setting narrowed down; now I'm just trying to figure out who lives on this lavender farm and what is happening in their life. The seed is planted, I'm just waiting for it to grow.
2. History
I've always been a big history buff and I minored in history at university ... so, really, it shouldn't surprise anyone that I find the past ridiculously inspiring. In case you didn't get the memo, the world's been around for a really long time and a lot of fascinating stuff has gone down since its creation. If you're suffering from story block (aka: the lack of a compelling plot idea) all you need to do is open a textbook or watch a documentary on the History Channel. From world wars to fashion trends, plagues to monarchies ... I'm always able to find nuggets of inspiration when I study the lives of people who lived before me.
How did these people live? What did they witness? Why did things unfold the way they did? And, of course, there's always that magnificent What If question. What if things had unfolded differently?
Because of my interest in history, I read a lot of non-fiction and I watch a bunch of documentaries about major historical events. No matter how much I know about a historical event or person, there's always something new to learn. When I come across a tidbit of information that I've never heard of before … say, French resistance fighters smuggling Jews through the tunnels of a castle in the Loire Valley (photo above) … the wheels start turning.
3. My Own Life
"Write what you know," they say. And so, I do.
As pompous as it may sound, my own life provides me with an endless stream of inspiration. In my twenty-nine years of living, I have been a competitive figure skater, a beauty pageant contestant, a coffee shop barista, a wedding planning assistant, a cotton candy maker at a candy shop, an administrative assistant and a homemaker. I've moved across the country all on my own, had a whirlwind romance and dealt with infertility. I've lived in the countryside, the suburbs and the city. I've lost a parent, travelled to some pretty amazing places and made friends from all walks of life. And you know what? I like to write about those things. I like to share my experiences with others, even if I do so through a fictional character.
Growing up, I was incredibly indecisive when it came to choosing a field of study/career. I toyed around with the idea of becoming an art curator, a lawyer, a hairdresser, a journalist - just to name a few! I almost went to study abroad in Switzerland; I came *this close* to moving to New York City. I sometimes find myself wondering what my life would be like had I chosen a different path and this often sparks an idea for a story or character. As I mentioned earlier, I love living vicariously through my characters. If I want to try something but can't, I simply invent a scenario where my characters get to do it for me.
What about you? Where do you find your inspiration and how do your stories develop?
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
- Roald Dahl
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