Where do you think authors get their inspiration?

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moderntimes
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Re: Where do you think authors get their inspiration?

Post by moderntimes »

Gerald, I agree with you in a certain way. Being a private eye novelist, my principal story line is deliberately invented depending on the theme of the novel. For example, my newest book, in progress, is about deep betrayal of a friend. So with that in mind, I thought about a group of Vietnam and Gulf War vets who are close buddies, but one or two of them betrays the others. And so the principal plot of the book is intentionally created, and I focus on that single major thread first. And aside from cooking up the plot idea, there is no inspiration, just deliberate, focused plotting and scheming for a good story line.

But then, since my stories are modern day and realistic, I use, as you say, all sorts of other inspirations from my own life and experiences, and from things which I've seen or read about, except of course no plagiarizing.

For example, my wonderful live-in girlfriend enjoys watching goofy action movies and TV shows. And when someone gets shot dead or maybe crushed flat by some demonic robot, she'll say, totally deadpan, "ouch" -- which makes me laugh. And so the new girlfriend of my private eye does this herself. Now this fictional character is in no way like my real life gal. I only borrowed this one humorous treat from her.

Likewise, I'll create characters from real life friends -- maybe I'll have a real life pal who's a computer engineer, and I'll take him and make him an architect but with the same physique and speech patterns. None of this of course is negative toward the friend. Or I might take a friend's physical description only, but make the character a totally different person from the real one.

What I have to be careful about is to have read a mystery thriller from a famous author six months previous, and then accidentally "think up" a plot sequence which in fact is borrowed from that book. It can happen totally accidentally with zero purpose of stealing the story idea.
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Gerald Chukwu
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Post by Gerald Chukwu »

Yeah. Sounds like my kind of inspiration. Imagination, subconscious, and little triggers. Spot on!
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moderntimes
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Post by moderntimes »

Well, it works for me. 3 novels, 4th in progress, lots of short stories, etc.

In all truthfulness, I am never lacking in ideas or inspiration. It's the process of getting those ideas down onto the page (screen, actually) which is the challenge.
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Gerald Chukwu
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Post by Gerald Chukwu »

Well while some people struggle to get in the mood, for some it comes naturally. I think you fall into that category, likewise me. I started writing while I was in high school. Mostly disorganized things I knew would never be published. However my immediate elder brother died and I was sparked into life. I now have 13 novels. Six in paperback, 6 in ebook format and close to 7 completed drafts. And some of my friends wonder how I do it.
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Post by DABale_Publishing »

Inspiration comes in many forms. For some it's a catharsis to help deal with past trauma. For others it comes in the form of vivid dreams from imagination. A lot comes from just a passion for a specific era in time. Now whether that inspiration translates into a good or bad book is totally up to the skill of the writer, which can be taught to some degree. :-)
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Post by moderntimes »

I guess I'm a bit different from most here. I rarely have any personal trauma or family difficulties or other personal things which spark a story line or a plot.

All my stories are simply cooked up by thinking, "I want to write about.... hmmm... a careful vampire? a strange tale of suspense? a monster which lurks upstairs in the apartment just above where the poor guy lives?"
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Post by Metka »

It can be the nature, the people, history, the environment, other artistic works,.. You name it. There are so many things that can inspire us. The usage of imagination is also crucial when it comes to writing. You have to crate your characters, the enviroment the live in, the main plot,... It's similar to writing a script. You have to create details that make the book interesting,.. For example, just to describe how one hero will look like,.. You can play with colors, moods, happenings,... so many things,..
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Post by Momlovesbooks »

Everyday life, unique life experiences, imagination and experiences of others are just a few things I think authors draw upon to get story ideas.
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Post by Olivia Parker »

I think authors get information from the world around them, and life experiences, too. Even if a book is totally not about the world around them, there are still details embedded into their stories.
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Post by Vermont Reviews »

Everyday life can be a great source for stories.

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Post by lily_kh87 »

I guess authors get their inspiration from life itself, from their experiences of love, loss, agony etc
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just wanna read
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Post by just wanna read »

A budding author once told me that characters spoke to her and told her to tell thier story. What ever works I guess.
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Post by Shabellabook29 »

They are inspired by things they are passionate about or the experiences of themselves and those around them. Other mediums serve as inspiration for story ideas as well, such as; finding meaning in photographs, overheard conversations, dreams etc. Every day people they may have came across may inspire a character for a book.
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MistyRenee72
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Post by MistyRenee72 »

I would hope from their life experiences....or possibly through the observation of a loved ones experience!
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Post by Clifora »

It probably is life experiences, but really, I guess anything. I mean, it's possible to get inspiration and ideas from anywhere. You could be happily eating a doughnut when an idea comes to you. I guess their point of view and opinion on different things can affect how they write.
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