Inspiration.

What inspires you to write what you write?

How does it affect what you write?

As a writer, different things inspire me to write.

In relation to my most recent worked just released, Spiral, it was the story attached to a building near where I once worked in Melbourne, Australia. Whether it’s true or not, it inspired the basis of the story. In essence, I heard that the particular building in question was designed to fall a certain way if it collapsed. Not that the building was faulty, it would simply fall towards the river near where it stood. Unfortunately, as I noted to myself at the time, that the said building would actually topple over and smash into the building in which I worked.

For another book I released a few years ago, it was a song I heard on the radio. I got my own copy of the song and the more I heard it the more I could imagine it being performed in a certain way. In that story’s case, it only took me two weeks to write the full outline. I wrote it whenever I had the chance, but it was mostly on the twenty-minute train journey to and from work. It then took me a year to flesh out the idea whilst attending a writer’s group, at the time. I worked with a great bunch of people who loved the story and wanted more. They couldn’t wait for the story each week. That really helped me write each new chapter. The critique was good as not only did it clean up the chapter worked on that week, but it made sure I applied those same critical elements to both the chapters already written and the ones to come. Therefore, each new chapter was cleaner and cleaner to the point that most of the people were only making small comments or were only picking up grammar.

For the writers following my posts, we know that each of our stories is inspired in some way. I’ve even been inspired by others stories I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, television shows I’ve watched. I’ve heard it said, and have said it myself, there’s really isn’t anything new in writing. What is new, is the way we tell a story.

If I waited for a totally new idea before I wrote, I would be waiting a very long time. Even though a lot of the ides we read or see are on repeat, what’s exciting is how we perceive the telling of that idea. What’s exciting for me is how I tell the story around that idea.

Blowing up a building knowing it will fall in a certain direction is still blowing up a building. The question is; how does the story get to that point? What leads up to how? Why? Who? When? What reason?

I write for the fact that it is thrilling and fulfilling. It doesn’t matter if I never publish the work, although I probably would put it out there as it’s much easier to do so. I write because I enjoy writing, it’s a creative release. Any idea that inspires a story is noted. It is expanded upon when I am able to. If not at the moment of the inspiration, then as soon as I can get to where I keep my notes. If it relates to an existing story, then I go to my one of my two kitchens (see earlier blogs regarding how I mentally store my ideas) and add the inspiration to its appropriate story.

Be inspired to write.