Inspiration can be a roadblock to writers, both aspiring and professional. We’re always waiting for that ‘perfect moment,’ that ‘perfect vision.’ It’s like the clouds will part, and that vision of glory will unfold before us, then take us by the hand and lead us into story.
Unfortunately, it rarely works that way.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can, actually, find inspiration pretty much everywhere around you, and at anytime.
A good place to start is with people. Put yourself in a public place–a coffeeshop, for instance, or a park, or just a bench on the sidewalk. And watch the people who come and go. Every person who you see has a story. You don’t know what their real story is, but that doesn’t matter. You can give them one.
The woman walking by just got a new job, and she’s heading home to tell her family. The man with the beard is rushing to meet his wife whom he hasn’t seen in 14 months.
Why are these people doing these things? That’s up to you–and that’s your starting point.
Have a pen and paper with your, or a laptop, or whatever means you like best to capture your thoughts and words. Write them down. Don’t worry about the quality of the sentences, or the spelling, just write down what you see.
When you get home and look at it later, it might not be much of anything. Or, maybe you’ll find there’s something — one single image, one imagined storyline — that grabs hold, and you want to continue exploring.
We will look at additional exercises in future posts. But just know that when you feel blocked, inspiration is closer than you think.