So many times, authors are asked, “Where do you get your ideas for your stories?” For me, I think the easier way to answer this question might be to tell them where I don’t get ideas. Because unlike many people who say how they’ve got a book in them that needs to come out. I have countless books in me vying to get out All. The. Time.
I mean, seriously, sometimes it’s a miracle I can socialize with normal people. (aka: non-writers) But since this week the #MFRW is about Story Inspiration, let me give you a quick peek into the deep, dark corners of my muse.
Look—A Squirrel!
My attention span is fueled by too much coffee and distracted by every shiny object, unusual phrase or interesting visual. I’m constantly collecting sticky pads, notes on my phone, and cruise on a short trip to stimuli overload daily. It’s only a matter of time before I’m forced I rush to the computer to purge onto a blank page.
Party With The Muse
My vat of story inspiration is like one of those movies where a small, intimate party quickly morphs out of control. You think it’s just going to be a small get together, with a few people. Before you know it, the music is blaring way too loud, everyone is talking at once and the house is bursting at the seams.
There are people shoving their way in, or lurking in the hallways that you don’t remember inviting.
You’re chatting it up with your friend, “Hope”, having a good ole time, when you notice that your other friend, “Abigail” is vying for your attention—and who is that woman in the corner glaring at you because you haven’t gone over to let her introduce herself yet?
So…got #story inspiration? Yep, plenty. From too many sources to name.#MFRW Click To Tweet
When the Party Gets Stagnant
Yet, there are times, when I’m immersed in a story and I’m stuck at a part that I don’t know what is going to happen next. (panster here!) I do have a few tricks that help get the muse flowing.
- Take a ride on the back of hubby’s motorcycle
- A bicycle ride
- Plan time early in the morning when my muse is most fresh
- Turn on that faucet and just start writing—the words usually flow
- Have a glass of wine—hey, it’s relaxing and sometimes the muse just needs to unwind (okay, this is probably starting to sound a little weird talking about ‘the muse’ like it’s another entity- but if you’re a writer you might understand that it kind of is…but not in a crazy way. Well, not usually…)
Looking for an excuse, or a drink, to join in
the party? Stop by the Last Call with Hope in Destiny Calling
What Inspires You to Pursue Your Passion? Let me know in the comments, because nobody likes to drink alone.
Party on Garth—with the Muse—and Find Out Where Other 
Author’s in the #MFRW Blog Hop Find Their Story Inspiration
 
Great post! It’s amazing to see where other authors get their inspiration. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Ellie. I appreciate you stopping by 😁
For me, it’s not just the story ideas that keep piling up, but also the unfinished manuscripts. Recently, I had time to open the file of a story I’d started in 2013–yes, FOUR years ago. Since then, I’ve written and released three other books. Not that I don’t love them too, but getting back into this old story was like visiting an old friend that I hadn’t seen in years. Question is will I finish it this time before getting pulled away again by a squirrel, a new shiny, or a contracted story? Yes, Maureen, our muses keep us soooo busy.
I’m the same way. I can’t even tell you how many partial or unedited MS I have. Thanks for visiting😊
It’s supposed to be this way correct? Endless ideas to keep us going so we never run out of material to write about. Only the issue (for me at least) is that sometimes those ideas never go anywhere other than the original concept. As I’ve been trying to finally complete this long awaited second book I’m trying hard to not let myself get distracted by all the other ideas that seem to be flooding in right now. Not an easy thing to do. And it’s okay to talk about your muse that way. My friend calls hers She-Brain and they don’t always get along. LOL
Oh my I so love “she- brain”! Now I need to name my muse. 😊 Thanks so much for visiting!
Yes we authors are kind of crazy! It’s so wonderful to connect up with kindred souls!
Outdoors, bicycle riding, and don’t forget a glass of wines. My kind of inspiration.
Maybe it’s that I raised five children, but I learned to tune out the cacophony of voices. My kids learned that when mom was thinking about something, they could tell me things I wouldn’t remember. “But I did ask, and you said yes.” I probably did say yes, because I wasn’t paying attention. My youngest learned to pat my arm when she wanted attention. Fortunately, my characters are all disembodied voices. Easy to ignore while I focus on the one I want to write about.
It sounds like you have no problem coming up with ideas. I guess the next question is, how do you take a stimulus and turn it into book. That’s just as much of a mystery, I’d say.
I, too, have lots of story ideas (the general concept of the story). I’d just like to know how come my muse abandons me when I hit the “sagging middle” of writing my manuscript? Maureen, you need to hire yourself out to those of us who have this problem, lol.