Jane Piirto’s list of the Seven Is starts with inspiration. Inspiration is the external force, object, or event that compels us to start a creative pursuit. For a child, this can be as simple as a new box of markers. For a writer, this could be meeting an unforgettable person or being in a strange place. Piirto lists nature, the creative work of others, travel, and dreams as possible sources of inspiration.

Inspiration is Essential to All Creative Pursuits

Whatever our inspiration is, it must be something that affects us at a deeply emotional level. Not only does it need to cause us to want to create, but it must be earthshaking enough to compel us to do so with unrelenting passion, despite everything else that stands in our way whether it is lack of needed skills, minimal time, or work and life commitments.

Types of Inspiration

So what things in our lives can be that powerful? Whenever I interview authors on my Zara West Romance blog, they often talk about what inspires them to write the stories they do. Books and travel are some of the most common forms of inspiration. Other inspiring events authors mention include:

• a family situation
• a historical event
• a historical personage
• a photograph
• an artwork
• a childhood memory
• a work situation
• a current news event
• an injustice
• a news event

Inspiration and Emotion

A few authors noted a fearful event or grief as a source for their novels. In fact, any situation bathed in emotion can be a powerful start to the creative process. These events are often things that happened in one’s past.

Here is a list of emotionally powerful inspiration ideas:

• a distressing family situation
• a troublesome childhood memory
• a horrible work situation
• a disastrous accident
• the loss of something or someone deeply meaningful to you
• being the object of discrimination or bullying
• being lost or abandoned for too long
• having a near death experience
• a joyous conclusion to a series of troubles

Inspiration and Surprise

While all of these are powerful places to look for inspiration, in many cases a truly inspiring event is something that just happens. That element of surprise can be key in first drawing our attention and focus to it, and then, getting our brains whirling with ideas.

Here are some ways to create the potential for a surprising inspiration:

• Go someplace you have never been or would normally never go.
• Try a new activity you have never done or have been afraid to do.
• Sleep in a new way or new place.
• Read a book in a genre or on a topic that you normally would avoid.
• Participate in a group activity you never have before.

Inspiration and Writer’s Block

Writer’s block often occurs when our inspiration fizzles out or isn’t strong enough to carry us past all the things competing for our attention and time. This can lead to situations where the ideas and words just don’t come. In such situations, sometimes the best thing to do is to set the draft aside for a time and then come back to it with fresh eyes.

During that time you might do one of the activities suggested above that is related in some way to your initial idea. With luck this will recharge the initial inspiration. For example, contemporary romance author Nancy Herkness found that reading fantasy books during a dry spell for ideas inspired the idea to set her new series on an imaginary island with an imaginary royal family.

Other ways to break through writer’s block include:

• Replotting the story using a different plotting method
• Skipping to a new place in the story
• Changing the point-of-view or tense

Cherishing Inspiration

When we are inspired, the world seems brighter, our minds feel clearer, and our urge to create drives us forward. When we lose that feeling, we can feel depressed and even want to abandon writing altogether. Don’t. Inspiration will come again if you just give it a chance.

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What inspires you to write?

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