Waiting for Inspiration

People who are interested in writing sometimes ask: how do you get inspiration? Do you have to sit and wait? No — I give the standard answer: you just sit at your desk or computer and don’t move until you’ve written a thousand words, or whatever you set out to do. As William Faulkner once said: “I only write when I’m inspired. Fortunately, I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning”.

Not entirely true with regard to planning a new project. Quite often, I start with two themes I want to write about and let them go round in my brain for a while. Taking the dog for a walk helps, or driving the car, or cleaning the bathroom. There’s something about carrying out an entirely different activity that seems to allow your thoughts run free.

Sitting agonising never works, at least it doesn’t for me. Obviously, if and when I have a wonderful moment of “inspiration” and the two themes combine into a story, there are still many gaps to be filled and, most importantly of all, characters to create, but where the story came from I couldn’t say. Somewhere in my unconscious, I suppose.

It’s true that writing is hard work, and often goes badly, although sometimes on the bad days it suddenly starts to flow, and feels like a reward for sticking it out. However, what appears to be a moment of pure brilliance may, on re-reading, be not very good, whereas the part you slogged away with may turn out to be better than you thought.

I suppose writer’s block is the opposite of inspiration. If I get stuck I don’t call it writer’s block. I abandon my computer and write with a pencil on a piece of paper. It sometimes breaks the spell. And writing about anything – what you did yesterday or what is going on outside the window – tends to free your mind so you can return to what you were working on.

In “The Sister’s Secret”, my latest crime novel, I wanted to explore two themes: the relationship between sisters — I was brought up with two of my own — and premature babies — I am familiar with Special Care Baby Units as my daughter has triplets who were born eight weeks early. (Thankfully, they all did well). I also know how important the nurses and doctors become. At the end of my book, the main character is writing a letter to one of the nurses. She doesn’t know her second name, never mind her email address, but she feels such a strong bond she’s compelled to write and thank her. Anything that touches your emotions motivates you to write, although often it is difficult to put into words satisfactorily.

More research was needed than just my personal experience, but I was familiar with a local medical library because of the research I carried out for a book about The Rhesus Factor. That book dealt with blood groups and how a way of preventing the death of affected babies (my great grandmother lost three) was discovered after the Second World War. I found myself spurred on, thinking about my poor great grandmother who I barely knew. Research can be long and laborious. On the other hand, it often provides you with new ideas, either for the main plot, or for sub-plots, and that I suppose is a form of inspiration.

The other theme in “The Sister’s Secret” — relationships between sisters was both easier (personal experience) and more difficult (conflicting feelings). Sibling relationships are complicated — closeness and affection, but also jealousy — and the rivalry can last into adult life. In “The Sister’s Secret”, Erin’s sister is actually dead, but her feelings about her continue and even become more intense.

Sometimes, at a certain point — this is especially true of crime novels — I start to lose track of who had lied to whom, and about what? This requires detailed, and rather boring checking, but even that can provide new ideas when something you had failed to consider suddenly jumps into your head. The same applies to re-writing. I normally re-write books at least four times and sometimes spot a connection, or motivation, that had not been planned but which adds to the story.

Perhaps it’s just a question of what counts as inspiration. The dictionary defines it as “the act of breathing in” or “an idea or passion”. I happen to like cryptic crosswords and solving a clue you’ve got stuck on is a kind of eureka moment (an inspiration?). Old coin is a distant object (8 letters).  Old coin? Distant object? Distant object. Far thing. Got it! Farthing!

To paraphrase Thomas Edison, “(Writing) is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Or, put another way — if you work hard, inventing characters that eventually become like real people to you, and exploring themes and narratives, you may be rewarded with ideas that seem to appear like magic. Inspiration?

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Penny Kline has previously worked as a psychotherapist in the NHS and as a university lecturer. Penny began her writing with radio plays – having had two broadcast on Radio 4 – and then went on to write several crime novels. Penny halted her writing for a while after her partner became ill. Following his death, Penny wrote Ursula’s Arm, set in the 1930’s, about psychoanalysis, Marie Stopes, and what married women were expected to put up with. She has now returned to crime writing. The Sister’s Secret is her latest novel.

Social media links:

https://twitter.com/KlinePenny

https://www.facebook.com/PennyKlineAuthor/

About THE SISTER’S SECRET

A psychological thriller that tests the power of trust and the very people you hold close. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Louise Jensen.

Erin is devastated when her pregnant sister Claudia is left brain dead from a tragic accident. When Claudia’s boyfriend Ollie wants to switch off her life support, a desperate Erin finds herself fighting to give the baby a chance.

As she starts to uncover things Claudia never shared with her, Erin turns to the people closest to her sister. But why is everyone refusing to talk about her? And just where has Ollie run off?

Yearning for her sister, Erin grows close to Claudia’s friend Jon. She refuses to get involved with another married man but this is the least of her worries.

The more people Erin meets, the less she can trust. And now, her life is in danger too …

 

 

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing