One of the most common questions I get as a writer is: “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a question that never fails to make me smile because for many of us, the ideas and inspiration are all around us. They’re everywhere and nowhere at once.
The truth is, there’s no single answer to the question. Ideas come from the world around us, the people we meet, the books we read, and the quiet moments when we let our minds wander. Here are my thoughts on finding inspiration for my stories.
Everyday Life Gives Us a Lot
For me, one of the richest sources of inspiration is everyday life. There’s something magical about observing the world with a writer’s eye—paying attention to the small details that others might overlook. I often sit at coffee shops and watch people interact and make up stories about what they’re doing. This includes things like whose cheating on whom, what someone’s tattoo means, and why the one teenager in a family doesn’t look like the others.
I’ve mentioned in a previous blog that I found inspiration for the second Stephanie Hart novel, Hard Look Back in a TV ad for toilet paper. Really. The ad featured a Dad teaching his young daughter how to shave her legs, and that scene was a background event in the novel. Only by paying attention to 10 second ads like this one was I able to use that in my writing.
What-If Questions: The Writer’s Superpower
I gave the middle school students in our creative writing elective a set of “what if” prompts. These prompts asked them to imagine conditions that are very different from their current reality. The prompts offered a question—usually one that starts with “What if?” What if humans could time travel but only backward? What if someone woke up one day and discovered they could hear other people’s thoughts? What if an entire town disappeared overnight without explanation?
These “what-if” questions can open our eyes and provide inspiration for a variety of stories. When I’m stuck for ideas, I pull out the list I gave my students, and often find several wonderful ideas.
Writing from Personal Experiences
They say to write what you know—and while I don’t always believe this should limit you as a writer, there’s undeniable power in drawing from personal experiences. As a senior now, I’ve lived in six states, and worked for twelve different colleges and universities. In addition, I sang in a boy’s choir touring Europe, and have traveled to forty-two states so far. There are enough day-to-day encounters during those sixty-eight years to provide writing ideas for years to come.
Maybe you once had an awkward encounter at a family reunion that would make for a hilarious scene in a novel. Or perhaps you’ve experienced a tough setback in life that could lend emotional depth to your characters’ struggles. You don’t need to retell the events verbatim. But they may provide inspiration for a new take on a similar event in a future story.
Books, Movies, and Art
I’m a child of television. Though we only had three TV networks back in the day, I used to watch for hours. And watching television or even seeing my middle school students’ artwork can provide ideas and inspiration. You may find similar sources of inspiration in period television movies or in other authors’ books. Don’t feel you can’t take a mini-scene from another writer, and use it to help you create something that’s completely yours. For many of us, a beautifully written novel might inspire us to experiment with language; a gripping movie might spark an idea for pacing or tension.
More recently, I watched a brief YouTube video about buffalo soldiers which pushed me to create a story arc featuring one. Let’s see if I follow through to write the novels!
The Power of Serendipity
Finally, sometimes ideas come from pure serendipity—a random word generator online, flipping through an old magazine, or even mishearing someone in conversation. The trick is to stay open to these moments and capture them before they slip away.
I always keep a little notebook handy so I can jot down snippets of dialogue, interesting names, or quirky observations whenever they strike me. I’ve even found inspiration while using name generators for my science fiction and pen something short from the quirky names it creates. In short, when an idea slaps you in the face, take it!
Ideas Are Truly Everywhere
So where do ideas come from? The answer is simple: ideas and inspiration are everywhere—and within you. The world is brimming with stories waiting to be told; all you have to do is pay attention and let your imagination do the rest.
The next time someone asks me where I get my ideas, maybe I’ll just smile and say this: “From life itself—and from asking ‘What if?’”
