Finding Inspiration

“Write what you know.”

Every writer has been told these words at some point, and they have most likely repeated these words to someone else. And it’s most certainly true that every story has something within it that the writer knows very well. What they don’t tell you is that whatever part the writer knows about their story before they start writing can be anything. The possibilities are truly endless – from writing about a plot centering around a specific set of knowledge (like horses or farming or “the college experience”) to a basic idea (like love or sacrifice). So using the phrase “Write what you know” to decide what to write a story about is almost silly. No matter what you choose to write, no matter how hard you try not to, there will always be something that you know or a part of yourself in your stories. Therefore, we move past this idea and on to the real trick to choosing your story: Inspiration.

I can’t count how many times I’ve read interviews where authors have stated something along the lines of “It came to me in a dream.” Now, not all writers have fantastic dreams that drop story ideas in their laps, but it does happen. Every writer should have a dream journal, because chances are you aren’t going to remember what was so interesting about those dreams an hour after you wake up. And when you’re using your dream journal, don’t focus on trying to write down every detail of what happened. If you can capture the key words and most important ideas, you should be able to fill in the blanks when you read it later. The dreams you may not view as novel material can act as fun writing prompts to hone your skills and to help you simply keep yourself writing.

Writing prompts can be your best ally. They often force you to think outside of your normal thought process, and they can be found all over the place! There are plenty of books out there filled with writing prompts (I know this because more than one English teacher of mine forced them upon me in school), and the internet is covered with them. Try searching for writing prompts on your favorite search engine and you’ll see exactly what I mean. One of the best parts about writing prompts is that they can very often lead to that spark of inspiration that creates a truly good story. You’ll be working your way through a prompt and suddenly think, “What if instead…” and your ideas are off!
No two stories are written in exactly the same way. Some are formed around the plot, others around the characters. Whatever happens to inspire you is yours, and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re doing it wrong. It’s yours. If you prefer to find the right main character and find their story from there, I’d suggest doing a little people watching. Personally, the easiest way for me to find characters is to go to the mall and take notes on what I notice. Who knows, maybe you’ll witness something in someone you find to be truly inspiring.

If you prefer to start your stories based on a plot and add the characters as you move forward, there are a few things you can do to find that perfect plot for you. The first consideration I recommend is to look through the list of 36 Dramatic Situations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Six_Dramatic_Situations). Every story can be boiled down to these situations in their most basic form, so realizing what situation you’re writing about can be helpful to the process. Also, if you’re stuck in the middle of a story it wouldn’t hurt to consider what situation you’re writing about to give yourself that little bit of insight to move the story forward. It’s always worth a try.

The greatest stories to be told are not chosen by their author; the author is chosen by them. So stop considering what you think you know or doubting that you’re the “right” person to write an idea you have. If the inspiration came to you, then it’s your story to tell. And if you’re looking for inspiration, keep trying. It happens differently for every writer, so you just need to find what works for you.