Inspiration

Have you ever wondered where some of the storylines authors use come from?

Well, they come from a myriad of places. Some stories are born of dreams, some nightmares and some stem from the complicated imagination of the author. But it doesn't end there. Sometimes story ideas come from the simple things in life - friends, family, co-workers, pets and pop culture.

Inspiration can be a simple word or phrase or a funny situation. Now, the story that gets written may not resemble reality at all, but the point is that reality is inspiration and it is everywhere, you just have to be willing to listen, even when you think it odd or morbid. It may sound odd, but I kept a box of stuff from my grandfather's desk and a box from my great aunt's house. Stuff that everyone else considered to be junk.

Why did I keep them even though they might be considered junk?

Because, there is a story or two in each of those boxes and these items are authentic to their era. Authentic pieces such as what I kept can go along way to cementing a story in the past, making it believable. A story won't be successful if you can't convince the reader the story is taking place during the time frame you say it does. But I didn't keep them because they were authentic, I kept them because I heard the stories screaming to be heard.

Now, the boxes have been patient and quiet while I have been studying and working to become the best writer I could be, but I think I've been hearing them waking up because I haven't been able to get a moment's peace since I graduated in December and, to add fuel to the fire, I saw my Grandfather in my dreams. It was as if he was telling me that it's time to listen and time to write.

Where do you find your inspiration?