Inspiration: How Does It Work? - The Creative Process

INSPIRATION: HOW DOES IT WORK?

I wrote a piece about inspiration, but it was a very long time ago, I think like 2013, (piece found here) and I felt like it was a good idea to revisit the subject. I know that it's something that I get asked a lot when I do questions from readers, though I usually direct them to my blog because as I said, I've talked about it before. But every writer works differently, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to explain how inspiration works for me, what steps I go through and how I get a finished draft at the end of the process.

STEP ONE: THE IDEA
Usually this will be something that hits me right at the wrong time. I'll be mid-draft of another book, and then get hit with something that I really want to write right now. If that's the case I'll thought dump into a document and leave it to brew for a while. If I'm super passionate about the idea, then it'll get moved up the list for what I write next. At the moment I have about six projects that are vying for my attention and I've not yet decided what two to work on next.

STEP TWO: THE PLANNING
As I've talked about before, I don't do much planning. I will write a chapter plan and on it has very few points that I'm planning to include. My chapter plan is more to keep track of words, the timeline, and the pages the chapters take up. I will also do character cards for the main characters and some secondary ones that I'm already aware of. This doesn't take me long, usually a few hours and from there I can move onto the next step!

STEP THREE: THE DRAFTING
This obviously takes the most time, several months actually, and during this time the inspiration waxes and wanes. I will usually write in blocks of four days, a chapter a day and work myself through both of my current projects. I don't write every day simply because I can't push myself to write all day every day. Sure it'd be nice to get more done, but I also have a life outside of writing. I have things to do for my author platform, and they all take time.

On top of that, I do love the drafting phase of a project (piece found here) and it's something that I very much enjoy, so I will take my time through the process, editing as I go to make sure the draft is as clean as it can be once I'm done.

STEP FOUR: LOSING INSPIRATION
I included this step simply because in a piece about inspiration, you need to include the fact that sometimes, that inspiration flitters away and there's really not much you can do about it. So what do I do when I lose inspiration for a project? I keep going, which sounds like a glib, but it's a hard lesson to learn whether you're a new writer or an older one, there will be some projects that you find you don't want to continue once that inspiration goes, but there will be others that spark joy and you want to continue even without that illustrious inspiration, and what you have to do is keep going, finding new and different ways to keep writing the story that you're wanting to write. I did a piece recently about writer's block which you can find here.

STEP FIVE: FINISHING THE DRAFT
The end of all these steps is that I finally reach the end of the draft. When I do that, I'll put it to one side before I start editing. I've talked about my editing process before, but it might be something that I revisit this year. I have an older piece here. I do celebrate writing the final words, usually a nice treat!

So how do you deal with inspiration? Do you find it influences what you write? Lemme know down in the comments below.

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Uninspired Blog Posts - The Craetive Process

UNINSPIRED BLOG POSTS

It can be a headache for me trying to come up with blog posts every week. For a long time it was a case of writing them well in advance and posting them whenever I felt like it. Then for a period after I started to post every Monday it would be something I did on the Monday it was due, but that sometimes meant that I was working well into the night and still no closer to knowing what to say. And then I hit on the idea that along with my usual end of month stuff, I would write the coming months blog posts as well as the one for the first of the next month. It was a headache in the beginning but now I've gotten into a routine that when I'm running out of ideas, I look at my sticky note and start to brainstorm as well as going over what I've covered in the past six months or so.

Because a lot of what I post on a Monday is advice, I don't want to be doing too much along the same topics, but I've also made them my own too in that I will, around releases and such, have character pieces that I write and publish closer to that time of the year. I never usually have more than a couple of months worth planned because the ideas can be hard to find. It's a creative thing for me just as writing is that a lot of the time a topic will come to me and I'll have to write it down. Usually when I get low on ideas, I fall back on what's done well before. I have my mini series with Spoonie Writer, Trials Of A Crime Writer and Trials Of An Indie Author, and they're pretty easy to narrow down too because they have a specific readership and meaning on the blog.

You could say the same for the After Process. It's pretty easy to work out what belongs in the pieces that happen once you're published, but when it comes to the Creative Process, well, sometimes I'm just stumped and unsure about what to do. A lot of the time I'll sit down at the end of the month, once I've recorded my final vlog and are getting ready to wrap everything up and then it's about pulling teeth to bring out the blog posts. And I know I'm not the only one who feels like that, so why do I keep doing it?

Simply put, it's something I do well at. I get a lot of interaction, less so on the blog, but more so on the places that it's cross-posted to that tell me that my advice and snippets of wisdom are well received and wanted. My audience is telling me to continue. Same with the Friday posts where I promote other authors, it's something that gets a light shined on my blog, but also makes me feel like I'm sharing the wealth as it were. And those are all good things.

But today, when I sat down to write, I realised that I just didn't have a full calender for the coming month. I didn't know what to write about, what to advise on and given that I'm still coming back from burnout (piece found here) and have talked about taking a break to refill my creative well (piece found here) I thought I would be honest and talk about what happens when you're just not inspired to write an advice piece. The question can sometimes be simply answered by just not doing it any more. I've covered why I don't take that route, but it might be one open to you.

The other side of it is that I like my schedule the way it is. I have excelled at getting myself to make the most of my time, my energy and all the others things that are needed from me to stay both mentally and physically healthy, but also to keep writing which adds to the first two. Sometimes that means that I just don't have time to think up a specific piece of advice, and I guess what I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is: that's okay.

There is so much pressure both in the actual writing community and from ourselves to be pouring out this and that twenty-four/seven. And sometimes you just can't. Sometimes your brain is saying nope, your body is having a fit and you just can't produce what you normally would. And I don't feel like enough people say that, guess what? It happens to us all and it is okay. You are not weak. You are not a failure. This is not the end of you. You will get through this. And you will be okay.

So take a breath and just hold onto that. There's no shame in having an off week. I go through stages of having them weeks in a row. But also don't be afraid to ask for help, to reach out, there are people around you who care and they will listen, and if they don't, then reach out to someone who will. You gotta take care of you, and that's more than okay.

So that's my wisdom for the day. Now I'm gonna curl up with a good book and call it done!

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Ideas Everywhere! - The Creative Process

IDEAS EVERYWHERE!

One thing that all writers will agree with - whether they be a planner, pantser or a hybrid - is that the ideas don't stop. They pop up at the weirdest times and you find yourself going down the plot bunny hole and seeing all the weird and wonderful twists and turns it might take should you decide to capture it and keep it for yourself. The ideas don't stop. No matter if you're in the middle of one, or two, or more, works in progress, they just keep hitting you and there's no way to get rid of them. But that's not a bad thing, because with the ideas comes new stories, new plots, new twists and turns that allow you to go a little crazy with your characters.

But what happens when you capture a bunny and don't know if you have the time and patience to get on with it? Do you set it free? If it completely excites you and pulls you away from your current work, how do restore that passion and how do you stop getting sidetracked? Never fear, for I have five tips on helping you with those ideas and how to keep focused on your current project while still allowing time for the bunnies to roam free.

#1 - THOUGHT DUMP IS YOUR FRIEND
While you may not have time to switch projects, or juggling multiples, you do have time to sit and thought dump the idea out. Whether this means taking a day or two and just getting everything out of your head and onto paper, it can be the best way to quell the urge to sit down, plan and start writing this idea when your other projects need you. Sometimes it can be the case that your new idea will be a better fit for you, but the passion that comes from thinking up something brand new can sometimes be misleading. The best thing to do is get everything out there so that you can see what the good points are, and if any bad points come up.

#2 - REMEMBER YOUR PASSION
Shiny New Idea Syndrome is a plague among writers everywhere. You get started on a project and it's all exciting and new and you're pumped to be writing it. And then along comes a new plot bunny just as you're reaching a point in your project that feels like a lot of hard work. The excitement is still there, but it's not a case of just opening word and writing to your heart's content. It can be, at times, like pulling teeth, and that can make it seem like it's better to work on something new. And while that's a sur way to never really finish anything, it's really tempting at times. The best thing to do when this happens is look back and remember why you started writing the current works. It might be that you're able to see the reason, the thrill in the story again and once you've written down your new idea, you go back to the older one refreshed and ready to tackle the challenges.

#3 - SET UP A REWARD SYSTEM
If you're unable to find the urge to ignore the new idea and you're being tempted away from your current work, sometimes a reward system can work. While I don't advocate for forcing yourself to write something you have no passion for, sometimes it's just about getting over the current rough patch and then the words flow again. For me, I keep a writing log. I know other writers who do stickers for every 500 words, some who set up rewards of shows to watch and so on. On top of that, having a group of writer friends can really help you stay on task.

#4 - SOMETIMES IT'S BETTER TO SWITCH
That said, sometimes it is better to move onto the new idea. It might be that it's more than the initial buzz of starting a new project, sometimes it's a case that your current work doesn't appeal to you, or isn't where you want your focus to be. There's nothing wrong with taking a step back, and sometimes it can be the reason you're able to finish something. I did this with Lynne & Hope when I first wrote it. I had a brand new idea and I was excited about getting to start it. I tried to ignore the new idea but I soon realised that I didn't actually like where Lynne & Hope was at that point. So I put it away and about two years later, I came back, revamped the storyline and boom, the book was finished. It can work sometimes.

And finally, #5 - IDEAS WON'T STOP
It's good to remember, and to remind yourself that just because you're working on one thing doesn't mean that the ideas are going to stop. You're a writer, there will be times when you go weeks without something new, but then there are other times when you won't last a few hours without a brand new plot bouncing into your head. That's completely normal. I sometimes get to the point where I don't have any ideas for a long period and then when I allow myself to branch out, they all hit me at once. Everyone works differently and just because you see other writers with all the ideas doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. The ideas are gonna come, you might just have to wait for them.

So those are my five tips when it comes to new plot bunnies. Do you have any you'd like to share? Put them down in the comments below!

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Making It Work

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: MAKING IT WORK

Sometimes you'll have the best idea and then you'll sit down to write it and it just doesn't make sense, or doesn't jive well with the characters and your writing ability. Never fear! I have some tips and tricks you can try to make your idea work. For the record I'm a mix of a planner and a panster. People usually call them Plantsers but I, being the giant Doctor Who geek, prefer the term: Hybrid. It means I can use this gif!

So beside that awesome point, I just want to add that planning works for a lot of people, and there's nothing wrong with it. On the flip side, there's nothing wrong with writer's who *don't* plan either. Nor with those like me who straddle the best of both worlds. There's not wrong way to write or plan or not. It's all about your own personal style and all of that. That said, let's move onto the tips and tricks of what to do when you've got this awesome idea but you can't work out how to make it into an actual story.

#1 - THOUGHT DUMPING WORKS
I know a lot of authors who do it this way. I believe Jenna Moreci is one of them. She describes thought dumping as a way to just dig into the story and allow for all the information to fall onto the page. You don't have any order or plan, you just put down everything you can think of that ties to this idea. It's a great way to get the flow going and get the idea out of your head and on paper. It works well to get the ideas from your brain and just out. You don't have to put any more thought to it, just pour everything you can think of about this idea onto the page. You can organise it later. I find this works wonders when I'm in the middle of another story and need to get an idea out of my head so that I can focus on the work I have to do. It's not even something you have to do during one session, you can keep adding to it as you go along. It's a powerful tool.

#2 - FOLLOW THE LOGIC
Now, since this is a piece specifically aimed at crime writers, I wanted to make sure there were some tips that applied simply to that genre. This one of them. I've had numerous crime plots and sometimes have difficulty connected the pieces together. Like I know what I want the end to be, but I don't really know where it begins or the middle and all of that. Sometimes you'll have a middle or a beginning, but the advice is the same. Follow the logic. If you want there to be a gang of people arrested for a bank heist of some kind, that you need to work backwards and use logical thinking to be able to tie it all together. Now I know sometimes crime isn't all that logical, so don't feel like it has to all fit perfectly, sometimes it just doesn't.

#3 - ADDING A TWIST
Sometimes we have an idea that doesn't work on its own. Sometimes it's not enough for a whole novel, and wouldn't be a good idea as a novella. There are, yes, over-writers and under-writers and their version of long enough, hell, anyone's version, is going to differ from yours. But if you have an idea and as you're writing it you realise that they could get to the end goal now, then you have a problem. There should never be a point in the beginning of your plot where the goal could be met without any issues. That's when you add in twists and sub-plots that keep your protagonist from reaching their goal. And I don't mean random ones that don't serve the story at all, but ones that allow for more character growth and conflict that can't be resolved quickly and easily. This can be anything from throwing in a love interest whose story would end should the main character reaches their goal straight away, to actual obstacles being put in their way. Be careful that you don't overuse the add a twist point, there will come a time when your readers are unable to suspend their disbelief and will just get aggravated with the story and you don't want that.

AND FINALLY #4 - PERCOLATE THE IDEA
This is something I've used a lot when talking through plot ideas with friends. Sometimes an idea needs time to grow into something bigger than what it started as. That's when you plant the seed and just let it percolate a little. You may find that as you come back to it in a few hours, or days or weeks, you'll be able to see what you couldn't before which solves a lot of your planning and plotting issues. I've used this so many times, and not even just for book stuff, but uni essays and other writing things. I even do it with blog posts from time to time as well.

So those are my four tips on how to make an idea work. Sometimes it can be something as simple as talking it through with someone and other times you need to get it out of your head. Whatever you do, you gotta make it work for you. Do you have any tips or tricks on making your ideas work? Share them with us in the comments!


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Motivation & Muses - The Creative Process

MOTIVATION & MUSES

I don't know about you, but it's something that I'm asked a whole ton. Where do I get my inspiration from? What or who is my 'muse'? How do I stay motivated to finish a book? To publish? To go through that long arduous journey from start to finish? And how do I stay focused when so much of the world is demanding my attention? Questions like these, maybe phrased different, get asked of writers and authors so very much. I can understand why, after all not everyone has the capability to build whole new worlds with their words, nor do they have the ability to see that whole book through from start to finish and then through the editing process. It's something that comes up so much in my questions from readers, so I thought I would give you all a little insight into how I manage it.

I have, for the majority of my life, been someone who loves creating. I may not have wanted to be a writer from an early age (I was aiming for a paediatrician) but when I sat down all those years ago and finally put pen to paper, I realised I had found my profession. It was something that inspired me, kept my attention, allowed me to explore and grow and also I had some talent in it. I'd always had an over active imagination, and it had always been said as a bad thing. Looking back I can say that how I used that imagination wasn't always for good so I get where they're coming from.

However, now that I literally write stories for a living, I find that it feels weird to not be working on something at any one time. It's one of the reasons I'm able to manage to write two books at the same time. I can focus so much on the one world, and switch it off and go into another, that I am one of the few writers who successfully works on several projects at once. But yet I still get asked: how do you stay motivated?

For me the answer is both simple and complicated at the same time. The simple version is I make myself accountable. I've talked many times before about my organisation skills. I've talked about how I set aside a day for this and a day for that and how I stick to it. My motivation comes from me telling myself that I want to see this through to the end. Yes, I have my tips and tricks when I'm having one of those days, but I'm also very invested in my work. I always have been and doubt that will ever change. I keep myself motivated and when you're writing a book (or going through the editing process) you need that. You need be your own cheerleader but you also need to be your own boss. No one else can deliver that same motivation that you can give yourself.

The complicated answer is that I have a lot of things in my life that I can't control. I'm disabled, I'm chronically ill, I struggle for breath and I live in pain. I can't control any of that. I can't change that my lungs don't work right, and I can't stop my muscles from cramping or deal with the fatigue and need for naps any other way than by giving in. But I can control my work load. I can control how I write, what I write, when I write and how much I write. That is completely in my control. So that, in a weird way, keeps me motivated. It keeps me going back to the word document and typing away. I can create worlds and characters with my words, and I can make people care about those characters, and that world and those story-lines. In short, I am in control of my writing.

When it comes to giving advice on someone else trying to find their own motivation and get those words down, I can't. Because I'm not you. I can tell you what works for me, but just like so many things in the writing world, that's not going to help you all that much. What works for me may spark some ideas for you, but no writer works in exactly the same way, just as no spoonie has exactly the same limitations and symptoms as someone else with exactly the same conditions. Life affects everyone differently. So I can't tell you how to make sure you hit 2k a day, or how to juggling your work load so that you finish a book in a month - that's a whole nother ball game to be honest - but I can say that you have to hold yourself accountable. You are the boss of your work and I'm the boss of mine.

That said, the reason people ask so much about inspiration and motivation is because there are so many different ways to do it and people are looking to find the easiest answer for themselves. Do I work hard to get the output I do? Of course! But I also have a completely different life than you do. I write as much as I do, but I'm not holding down a full time job and I'm not trying to work with a toddler around - did that, thank goodness they grow up! I have the whole day ahead of me to write and I do it in my own way. You need to find what works for you and how to make yourself motivated.

As far as muses go, I've never really been a writer who had a muse. Sure I have the odd bits and pieces that I'll play with when I'm stuck. I have those little nano bugs that I like to run around. I have a nano quadcoptor that I play around with. I still need to learn how to properly fly that thing! I have fidget toys for when I'm thinking out of plot holes and all of that. But at the end of the day, I don't need them to keep going through my work. I am in charge of what I create and I own that. It's not an easy task for anyone and if you're looking for easy, then you picked the wrong profession.

Writing is hard. It's draining. It's impossible some days and you have to keep, always, pushing yourself. But at the same time, it's amazing and I can't see myself ever doing anything else. I love what I do. I love the stories I tell and the adventures I go on. I love every day of it, even the days when I'm cursing myself out. But how do I stay motivated? I write. It's both that simple and that hard all that the same time.

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Drawing Inspiration From Life - The Creative Process

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM LIFE

Something a lot of people will ask you when you're a writer is: where do you get your ideas? How do you know what's a good idea and what's a bad one? What inspires you? I've always had a simple answer for those questions and I think a lot of people wonder if it's just an answer, or if it's true. I'm here to say that for me at least, it's true. Life inspires me. From other pieces I've written you know that I draw a lot of my inspiration from things happening around me, to me, or to friends and family. From books I read, and stories I hear and films I watch, and so one. And while that's perfectly fine and normal, as a writer you have to be careful that you don't fall into the trap of drawing too much inspiration from other people's stories, life events and the like.

Having said that, there's nothing wrong with life - yours or other people's - inspiring you. It's what you do with that inspiration that matters. Taking a random stranger and turning them into a character that matches their body and facial features is one thing. You'll also be rounding that character out with aspects that probably won't match up with the real life person's personality and all of that. Taking someone you know and making them a character is a completely different thing. Especially if that character has all their personality traits as well as their physical appearance. It's possible to do it, but it is frowned upon for obvious reasons. That's not the same as taking someone's name with their permission and using that for a character. I've done that before, as a way to thank a friend who supported me through the beginning of my writing journey.

The key word there though is: permission. The other thing to remember is that it was just their name. The character I created was nothing like them, nor did they share any other traits. They knew their name was being used and they were very pleased with it. I think the rule of thumb when doing this, is just that, asking permission. After all a name does not make a character. It's what else goes into it that draws the clear distinction.

People will often ask me about finding ideas and my answer is always the same. That the ideas come from so many different places, but are formed using a healthy sense of imagination. Though considering I write about crime, death and murder, some may consider that to be less than healthy! My point is, that as a writer, you will most likely also have that sense of imagination. I've always been good at making up stories and while becoming an author wasn't a lifelong dream of mine, now that I'm doing it, I can't imagine what else I could've done. Some of that has to do with the way my life has turned out. I was going to be a doctor before my health got in the way, but then when faced with the prospect of doing nothing with the rest of my life, those sparks of imagination lit a fire in my mind and I've not really looked back since.

Life has been a source of inspiration for so many creative outlets. Whether that's the author's own life or someone else's. Think about it, books, movies, plays, art, music and the like have many cases of telling a story because of what happened to someone, something, or an event that took place in the world. And in capturing the imagination of the creators themselves, many pieces of work have been born that have defined cultures, time periods, events and such like. So when I say that life inspires me, I know I'm not alone there. It's just about captivating that moment and turning it into what you see in your head.

So when people ask: where do you get your ideas? My answer may seem simple, or like a brush off but it's not. It's just that I look at the world with my writer's eye and see things that can come from the seemingly mundane task of people watching from my office. I think having a healthy imagination makes you view the world differently. And it's something I am very proud and pleased to have. So when you're wondering how to create your next story, remember that life itself can be the source of so much fiction, even with a grain of truth. Your mileage may, of course, vary.

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The Trials Of A Crime Writer - Seeing Crime Everywhere

SEEING CRIME EVERYWHERE

One of the things that you pick up on when you write about crime all day is that it is everywhere! I don't just mean in your work or your plots, but all around you and always ongoing. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish whether you're just seeing crime because of your day job, or whether there actually is crime rampant around your daily life.

I say this because as someone who has been writing crime for over fifteen years, I've started to see that I see it all. the. time! I mean, I look out my office window and I see someone walking past my car and I think: Are they about to break in? Are they on the run? Do they have a body in their backpack? Okay the last is unlikely but maybe they have a head in there, those backpacks can be roomy!

I don't do anything about it of course, because that would be ridiculous! It still plays in my mind though. There's been a new school opened up down the road from us and so there's a lot of foot traffic from students. Now, as you all know, I've a pro-nap author and occasionally I'll find myself napping just as they're headed home for the day and guess what? That crime author brain pings up again.

Is there a bomb scare? Is that what all the noise is about? It can't be home time already? Are they skipping school? Oh, what if they're off to...and usually at that point my brain remembers the school and the foot traffic and I'm able to drift off and dream of fighting some monster while writing a book. (I never said my dreams were normal!)

My point is that it can't be natural to see crime everywhere, and it's probably not, but at the same time it's a side effect of having been doing what I do for so long. I do the same when I'm people watching and thinking up characters. Sometimes it so happens that a random person walking by my office window becomes a character or at least their body type and face does, in my latest work in progress. It all depends on where I am and whether or not I'm thinking characters or crime.

It does feel like my brain only has a few switches. If I'm not writing, then I'm doing admin work, reading or sleeping, or all four, though I'm not sure how I manage that. But seeing crime everywhere feels to me as a natural side effect of writing crime day in and day out. I'm sure police officers and the like have the same problem, though for them it's hard work and a clever eye to spot the ones that aren't as innocent as they seem.

So what's my advice to you? If you're a crime writer and you find yourself plotting nefarious activities onto some passer-by, maybe take a step back and get writing on your novel. At least then you can use some of the inspiration to move your work forward (or plot a whole new book) but for this crime writer, I'm happy to people watch and keep my nefarious plotting to myself!

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Creative Characters: Harriet & Dot

Writing Destination: Unknown
Creative Characters: Harriet & Dot

I got the idea for Destination: Unknown when I moved into the house I currently live in in August 2009. It is in an historic part of the town I live, and the area is it's own little village. Given that our house had been standing since 1840, I became a little curious with finding out who had lived here previously. As I dug into old census reports and other stories, I got the idea that if a character were to live here and be able to go back 100 years via some part of the house, then they could meet the person living here. I threw in a crime twist and the idea was born.

I already had a clear plan for the character living in 2010. She would be a young carer for her disabled mother. A bit of a loner, but having been burnt by people calling themselves her friends in the past, she didn't mind it all that much. Harriet would be fifteen, happy at school and happy at home. She would carry burdens that most fifteen-year-olds are lucky not to know, but she wouldn't be bitter or upset about it. Yes, she wanted her mother well, but at the same time, she didn't blame her, or feel she was held back. Their bond was strong, Harriet's father having abandoned the family before she was born, and in her eyes, she was doing what her mother would do for her.

Enter Dot, full name Dorothy. She lived in the same house, but in the year 1910. Her father was accused of murder and looked to be hanged for the crime. With her large family facing the workhouse, she looks for any way to prove her father did not kill his foreman. She appears to Harriet as a ghost one evening, and then the next day, as Harriet is looking out the kitchen window, a paving stone in her garden lights up. Harriet goes to explore and finds herself being sent back one hundred years into the past. She meets Dorothy face-to-face, with only enough time for Dot to plead for her help before Harriet is sent back to 2010.

The whole story flits between the present day and 1910, as Harriet gets to know Dot and her family and promises to help. The only problem is that time moves faster in 1910, where one visit a day apart is actually weeks, and time is running out for Dot and her family. Can Harriet save the day and rewrite history?

It was a joy to write, and I loved the way it crafted onto the page. I had a great time researching both my own house and the former occupants, to imagining how it would've looked in 1910. I was, at the time, working towards my degree and so snippets were written here and there. Time stolen away to look into 1910 and see where the story was going, and for once, I didn't actually have a clear idea of how it would end. When I finished it, I put it away for a few years and when I started the editing process, I was actually finding myself very immersed in the story. One of the few times I've been eager to get the editing done because I really did love writing, reading and editing it!

Be sure to grab yourself a copy either in paperback here, or in Kindle here.

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Inside The Author: Where My Inspiration Comes From

WHERE MY INSPIRATION COMES FROM

A lot of writers get asked this, no matter whether they write screen plays, novels, short stories, or anything in between. It seems that when you write in the land of fiction, people want to know where you get your ideas from, what inspires you and how you turn that inspiration into the words on the page. I've seen writers sigh and groan when asked this question and I've seen them ponder on how to answer it. It's different for every writer, of course, and it all depends on how they view the term "inspiration" and how they use that to write.

For some people, inspiration comes from other writers, famous people or just people they know. For others, it's the work of other people, or true life crime, or many other events that happen in the world. For me, it's simple. Life inspires me. I am inspired by the world surrounding me. I look at people living their lives and I see plot lines, I see characters and I see a whole story to be written. I'm sure it's the same for other writers too. And it's not just other people's lives that inspire me, but my own life too. In BLACKOUT, one of the characters has the same condition as I do. In LYNNE & HOPE, Hope is disabled just as I am. In DESTINATION: UNKNOWN, a character has both M.E and Fibromyalgia, both conditions I know all too well.

The inspiration doesn't stop there, life throws things at you that you have no idea how to cope with. I choose to use some of them in my writing. I'm not saying that I have a psychic gift that allows me to see the last moments of someone's life, nor have I ever dreamed my life whilst in a coma. But, along with other lives that happen around me, lives that I read about or hear about or even think about get turned into plots and characters. There is also an element of imagination in there too. My parents would probably say that I have always had an over-active imagination, and I'd agree with them. A flair for the dramatic, as it were, but it’s having that flair that allows me to dream up plot lines and people that I have never met or experienced.

Life is full of little things that can make you sit back and think "Huh, wonder how that would look in a book", but the imagination is a powerful tool and essential when you're a fiction writer of any kind. You need to be able to take the impossible and make it real. Go further than you have before and fit the pieces of the puzzle together to allow the reader to see the big picture. That takes a lot of imagination, as well as life experiences inspiring you. I have never yet written fantasy, and although I've thought about it, I often think about how awesome it would be to create a whole new world, with different rules, religions, people, animals and all of that. I am in awe of those who have done so, people like J. K. Rowling, Susanne Collins and Phillip Pullman. All of them have kept some semblance of our world, but added to it and breathed life into their words.

So, when I say that life inspires me, it's not as simple as it seems. It can have both a wide reach and a small one. One event can inspire a whole new world, and one world can inspire one event. Being a writer is about knowing which events create which and using them to tell your story. I only hope that I have done those events justice.

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From Joey's Instagram

A great writing quote. #beingawriter #writing #indieauthor #joeywrites #whyiwrite #wordnerd #writerlife #wordstoliveby #repost

A photo posted by Joey Paul (@joeybug) on Mar 10, 2016 at 9:43am PST