After attending numerous workshops and lectures by fellow writers & other creative folks, I’ve decided the number one question asked during the Q&A sessions is “What’s your inspiration?” There’s ALWAYS at least one person in the audience who can’t resist asking this and often more. They just repackage it, sometimes ad nauseam. The question’s so prevalent that it’s become a running joke between my collaborator, composer Peter Michael von der Nahmer, and me. So, I decided to analyze it.
First of all, what does inspiration mean? According to Webster’s, inspiration is a divine influence or action on a person, or the act of influencing or suggesting an opinion. Ok. That’s helpful, but how does it relate to me as a writer? Is a big bolt of the stuff going to shoot out of the sky and wow me? Drop an award-winning piece at my feet?
Nah. The truth is, a good writer knows that inspiration is in the details and it’s all around if you just look. As my friend and mentor, Harriet Schock, writes in her book “Becoming Remarkable,” she used to sit and wait for “inspiration,” big moments, to hit but quickly learned that real inspiration (and real emotion) comes from the little things that make up the everyday experience. Those are the things that ought to inspire us. Life and all its little parts.
So, how do you find the parts? Easy. Hang around other people and watch how they interact. Notice the peculiarities that make them tick. Talk to them and learn their stories. You don’t have to travel far and wide just to find a group of people. Go to the local mall, or similar hang out, and people-watch. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn just by watching others. Carry a notebook to capture moments and use the nuances you discover to color your words and breathe life into your characters.
And next time you happen to attend a lecture, don’t be so generic. Don’t ask, “What’s your inspiration?” Inspiration is a broad term. Instead, ask the writer where they go to get their best ideas, what they look for when they’re watching people, or even what they do when they’re stuck. Be creative. Look for the subtleties, the little details. That’s where the meat is. That’s what you’ll learn from.