What gets you Inspired to write?

I am motivated by the sheer, unadulterated terror of the harrassement and mocking I will endure from my crit partners and online writing group if I fail to keep up with their prolific output! And I simply must have my internet connection, so I can take random breaks to send them emails that essentially say "Neener, neener, I have X number of words, how about you??" Of course, since we all lie, um, I mean exaggerate, it's not that threatening, but it does keep me writing!

Looking through magizines, listening to music, taking a long walk, listening to people talk, sometimes my own dreams inspire me to write.

Sometimes it is just a simple word that inspires me to write. It is funny, but it is amazing to me that it is the little things that help me develop and create new things in my mind in which I need to get them out on paper. When I get like that, I have to write.

I always carry a little notebook with me, because inspiration can pop up at anytime and I always want to be ready for it.

2007 - Spirits on the Wind (Winner)
2008 - The 30 Angels of December

The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think

– Edwin Schlossberg

Funny you should say that, it reminds me of a moment about a month ago where I went to sleep early, and awoke from this weird dream about aliens taking over the world, and apparently eating all the inhabitants. I didn't even see the creatures except to know that they were fast, they were spindly and they liked the way we taste. I woke up from a rather vivid scene where we find out how to stop them and had an "OMG" moment and went into the livingroom where I wrote the whole thing down so I wouldn't forget it.

This year the information came from multi-sources and got smashed into a soup in the back of mine and came foreward as this story.

So many words, so precious little time.
ML Columbus, Ohio

I get a lot of my ideas from dreams I have. I keep a notebook and pen by my bed and as soon as I wake up from an interesting dream I write down as much as I can remember about it. Later, if it still sounds interesting (and I can read my half-awake handwriting) I rewrite it as a premise and start writing.

Most of the rest of my ideas just pop up out of thin air. I try not to think too hard about coming up with ideas, because (1) it doesn't work very well, and (2) forced ideas just never seem as good.

Books are like man's best friend,
but without the need for a pooper-scooper

Deadlines!! Ideas come and go, some get written down, some don't, but when it's crunch time; I write. Nano is perfect for that.

What inspires me to write are the many possibilities I can create with my story and characters. I love thinking about "what if I do this or that?"

Seeing that blank page before me, gives me a wonderful opportunity to "light up the page" and "make it happen!"

Toni

Toni

Why, of course it's my beautiful typewriters.

A PC says "Come to me, play your music and your games, check your e-mail and Google stuff. Oh, and if you have time, you might want to work on your novel..."

A typewriter says "Come write something on me!"

'nuff said.

I find a number of things inspiring: new notebooks, a freshly-loaded fountain pen, deadlines (perhaps the strongest inspiration), a nice pot of tea or cup of coffee; I also find both really good and really bad novels to be inspiring. If they are really good, then there is something about that I'd like to capture for myself; if they are really bad, then I think that I could write something better.

I get inspired at the most random moments. sometimes, when I'm riding my bike to the library something will hit me. The worst time is in the middle of a class, I will have an epiphany of some sort and I can't exactly whip around, take out my notebook, and start writing while the teacher is talking. I do think though, what inspires me the most is anime. I write a lot of FanFicitons, but a good amount of the time, my original characters will become so complex that they need there own story. That's where I got the inspiration for last years NaNo. Also, any day where the weather is just fantastic or the trees are beautiful. (65 degrees F, partly cloudy, slight breeze.) Or something I may be watching. In this years NaNo, I took a bit of my world's religion from the Lion King and the idea that the stars are the past kings watching over you. A ton of stuff inspires me (clearly), I have at least one notebook with me at all times, but I use loose leaf paper at school, it looks like I'm taking notes.

For me, it's mostly music. It has to be very familiar music, or else I stop writing and listen to it too much. But I tend to hear songs in various places (the car, the internet, etc.) that occasionally remind me of a certain character, or a certain story setting, something I'm working on, and it goes into my brain for reference when I'm working on that piece. If I have it on CD, the appropriate CD goes into the player while I write to sort of set the mood.

Unfortunately I'm totally clueless when it comes to mp3s and online music downloads and things of that nature, so I can't make a perfect playlist for each story I work on. Oh well, such is life. :P

"Here I am, out in the woods, talking to a Moose. Life's a funny road to walk, ain't it?"

Sometimes the lyrics to songs can inspire certain plot points or character personalities. A lot of my ideas come from asking "what if...?" That's why the dark character who doesn't like to speak about her past is the one who will be the healer, and the girl with the peppy and upbeat personality will be the fire mage. Fantasy series are soo much easier to come up with "what if...?" situations. You can truly go wild with ideas with fantasy and worldbuilding.

I, like zephyran, also tend to get inspired by dreams. There are characters I've had for years that will just surface in them and take me on a wonderful journey. There are also new characters and stories that pop up if I am able to remember them. Both of my previous Nano novels have been based on dreams, though the first one was very loosely based on the dream because it was so surreal. I recently had a dream that may inspire this years novel. I am going to start keeping text files of ideas in a folder on my desktop. I can go in and flesh them out when I want and then I'll always have a story to play with.

I also use a lot of music and it varies depending on the story. For the last two years my stories were set in Appalachia, so I listened to a lot of bluegrass--scary, considering otherwise I don't listen to it. When working with my regular characters there's a lot more Evanescence, Within Temptation, and quality anime soundtracks. This year, I think I am going to be listening to a lot of Gogol Bordello when I write. I want my story to be more offbeat then the past two attempts. I need to throw off my writing style to see what happens.

When I can't write, I draw. Another good stockpile of ideas and images to hold onto. Sometimes, if I have a fascination with a specific idea or time period, I run with that too. I enjoy period and cultural research. It bleeds into some of my old writing. I definitely feel like I haven't really written in a year though (classroom teaching sucked it all out of me). I'm trying to win my habits back with Nano this year so I can just keep going on, inspired.

2005: Conkle's Hallowed
2007: Brierspell
2008: ???

I can get inspired by a "what if" idea as mentioned above, as well as by the voice of a new character or some interesting dialogue (I hate when they talk to me while I"m trying to work). The big thing I have to do is get myself out of the way. That means I have to remove my distractions and do as much preparatory work as I can. If I get excited about an idea, I'll do all the research necessary before hand to be a subject matter expert so I have no excuse to slow down once I'm ready to sit down and write.

Since I'm writing a "memoir" this year, my inspiration is very dependent on music and photos that are emotinonally charged with the memories I'm writing about. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of hovering over Sydney on Google maps, looking at images and finding familiar intersections.

I'm always very inspired by music, and find new music propels me into new thought cycles. I'm also a fan of a fresh pot of coffee, and a long cigarette out on my fire escape which faces the C-Bus skyline.

Above all, this year I am inspired by the feeling deep in my gut that I am GOING to do this and that whatever I create next month WILL be turned into something beautiful and amazing. Perhaps even my legacy. Holding the bar a little high? Well- whatever gets the job done, and I have never been more excited to embark on a new project!

Hey zerohitwonder,

Did you spend some time in Sydney?
My husband and I tried moving there last summer, but it didn't work out. We were there three months, though. I've "wandered" down familiar streets on Google Earth, too.

-Annie

The love affair the book will focus on is between me and an Australian. I went there twice, the first time for a month, the second for three. Though it may seem like a short time, the many emotional battles that I went through there made the relationship between the city and me pretty profound.

I also did some preliminary arrangements to move there for a more permanent time. It's quite the challenge to work out. I'd love to return some day. I'd also love to get better acquainted with Melbourne. That city has a good energy.

I get the itch whenever I'm in front of my laptop or whenever I have a bit of blank paper in front of me and a pen in hand (pencil's too messy). I can't not write...it just happens.

Music sometimes is a source of inspiration; a particularly stirring line in a song will get the cogs and gears going, or an instrumental will stir up some sort of emotion or bring memories to the surface. I always have music playing, though...I feel like I'm going to die or go insane if I can't listen to music.

Most of my inspiration comes from personal experiences or lines of thought...just about anywhere close to me. Something just goes off in my head and I start writing.

The one thing that keeps my butt glued to the chair (or the couch) is that inexplicable feeling that I'm onto something. I get into this groove, and I'll just sit there for hours on end, writing and writing, plugging away until the feeling disappears and I feel like I've accomplished something.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" ~Adam Savage from Mythbusters

2007: The Guardian Angel (lost)
2008: Sacrifice (won)