According to Dictionary.reference.com, the original meaning of the word inspire is “to breathe upon or into.”
While it doesn’t happen that literally, all writers search for that one thing that will inspire them, to give them an idea that will lead to a completed manuscript.
Inspiration: How to Get It
For a writer, inspiration is the thing that makes them write. Its what gives them drive, purpose, and will to see it through to the end - or until the next idea comes along.
How exactly does a writer become inspired? The answer to that question is as varied as the people who write. But they all have one thing in common - an open mind. Every writer knows the key to getting inspiration is to be open to it.
Inspiration can come from anywhere: a song, a picture of a pretty girl or a handsome man in a magazine, a movie, a TV show, a friend’s breakup with their significant other. Even something as mundane as a trip to the supermarket, or even the daily commute to work, can bring about that sudden moment of clarity.
It’s that moment all writers dream of, when that elusive idea snaps into focus, to start that manuscript. But to be able to finish that manuscript, the writer has to be able to see it though. And needs more inspiration.
Inspiration: How to Keep It
The bigger question, of course, is once a writer has an idea, and is inspired to write, how does that inspiration stay with the writer?
Every writer will say that creative fiction writing is fun. But it is also hard work. Writing is just the first step. Endless editing often follows. The problems a writer faces in finishing that manuscript are myriad, and are unique to the writer and to the story they are writing.
The trick is to get past those problems. Whatever it takes to get past the current difficulty is also unique to the writer. That problem can be something as minor as how a character will say a line of dialogue, or as major as a critical plot twist or event in the plot.
But the universal way for every writer to get past whatever creative issue they might be having, is to stay inspired. Again, the key is to remain open to whatever source of inspiration that might present itself. It might strike at the most mundane moment, and without any warning at all.
The solution to a writer’s issue might come on the way to work or while doing the laundry, and suddenly the issue wasn't so big after all. The writer just has to be patient and remain open to it.
Inspiration: a Writer’s Friend
In order to be an effective writer of creative fiction, the writer must discover their own unique source of inspiration. Every writer has their own, and no two sources of inspiration are the same for two writers.
Inspiration is elusive, yet ever-present. But if one can make use of it, inspiration can be powerful.
Jon Bradbury - Hello! My name is Jon Bradbury. I am a 7-time electronically published writer, in the urban romance market, published with 3 different ...
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