Get Inspired - Life

So far all of the different sources of inspiration I’ve talked about have been media related, (music, images, and media) but today I want to talk about how you can get inspired simply by living.

 

It's everywhere if you keep your eyes open.

Get Inspired - Media

I am a couch potato and if you’re anything like me you can sit and marathon shows and movies for hours each day without feeling bad about it. To an outsider it might look like we writers spend a lot of time idly watching T.V. but for many of us studying well-made shows is a form of research. There is a part of our brains that’s actively working to deconstruct what we’re watching as it happens. We’re following the flow of the plot beat for beat, analyzing how the dialogue makes us feel, essentially we’re watching as viewers while thinking as writers.

Get Inspired - Images

  

I do hope to actually play one day.

For someone who has never played Dungeons and Dragons I have a pretty sizable collection of source books. To me these books are a goldmine of inspiration, the bestiaries especially. When I’m feeling like I’m in a creative rut just thumbing through the monster manuals sometimes will get the gears turning again as I study the images and see possibilities. These books are full of awesome, terrifying creatures and landscapes which makes them, in my opinion, a fantastic set of reference guides, and not just for science fiction/ fantasy authors. Some of the Eldritch abominations in the new compendiums could make even veteran Lovecraft readers uncomfortable at the sight of them.