Inspiration Station: 5 Places to Get Inspiration For Your Writing

Inspiration can be difficult to find at times. We get bogged own in our daily lives or succumb to the myth of writer’s block. But these five places might help you open up and get writing again (or expand your creative juices if they’re already flowing):

• Friends
  Who better to get ideas from than your friends? Whether for blogging or creative writing, friends are a great way to discover new stories, ideas, and much more. I get a lot of my blog ideas from one of my Interwebs buddies, Mulluane, who points me to all sorts of articles that I might otherwise never have found. Some have sparked stories, and others have inspired me to write rants.
• Public Transportation
  Some of the best characters I have ever written were a direct result of experiences I have had riding the bus to college. You’d be amazed the kinds of bizarre, fascinating characters that ride the bus. True, sometimes the people you meet on the bus, or the train, or wherever, are a bit odd, and sometimes downright disgusting, but I can’t think of a better way to develop unique characters than taking public transportation. If you have the opportunity to do so, ride a single bus route for a few weeks; you’d be surprised the kinds of people that ride the bus, and your writing will be better for it!
• The News
  Whether science or politics, the news is a huge inspiration machine when it comes to finding unique situations or coming up with ideas for science fiction stories. I doesn’t even matter if you watch or read a biased source, because in the end, news is news and any of it is fair game for creative writing. Read a newspaper or watch CNN and you might find yourself inspired to write something.
• Other Writers
  This one is probably pretty obvious. Reading the work of other writers is not only great for learning how to effectively plagiarize without getting caught, but also for learning about your craft. Published writers have already made it, and you can take a lot from their metaphysical writing book to help you along the way. Natural talent is always important, but seeing others who have worked hard to get where they are can truly help you sharpen your craft and, if you’re in the right mindset, other writers can inspire you to keep at it so that one day you can make it too.
• The Internet
  Whether through StumbleUpon or Google, the Internet is a veritable goldmine of information that can spark ideas in your creative head. The Internet connects you with the news, other writers, friends, and everything else. Sharing ideas has become common practice as a result of the the net becoming the monster that it is today. Stir up Firefox and start surfing; you might find yourself inspired!

And there you have it. What about you? What places do you go to to get inspiration for your writing? Let me know in the comments!