How To Use Your Inspiration Effectively

Every now and then someone asks me where I get my inspiration. My answer must sound vague and generalized, maybe even tinted with avoidance. However, it is one hundred percent true. Inspiration is everywhere. 

I’ve traveled some wonderful places, and sure, inspiration is there. But the best sparks I’ve ever had sprouted from something simple; listening to music, a couple having a low-voiced argument in a coffee shop, watching rain stipple in puddles. Some of the most productive moments of inspiration are when I’m doing mindless things and my thoughts can drift. Rinsing dishes, taking a walk, sitting and staring at nothing.        

It can happen in the chaos of a child’s birthday party, or the peace that comes right before I drift off to sleep. Sometimes it happens at the most inconvenient times, like in the shower, or when I’m at the stove. At those times I try repeating the idea until I can write it down. That part is important. Write it down. 

I couldn’t even guess how many times I had a great idea, a fresh idea, or a resolution for a problem in a story already partially written, only to lose it because I was sure I would remember. I try keeping a pen and paper nearby. In my purse, in my car, next to the bed. Though, if my husband is sleeping, I go to another room to scribble a note I may or may not understand in the morning. No reason for both of us to have our sleep disturbed because a thought was so rude as to come to me in the middle of the night.

It’s also not unusual for me to turn away from a manuscript I’m working on because another idea is jumping around inside my head, waving frantic arms to get my attention. When inspiration hits, run with it. Inspiration is random and ephemeral. If you don’t grab it when it’s in front of you, its ghost will taunt you later.  

Sometimes thoughts that seem like almost nothing, too small to make a note, won’t leave me alone. Those are good too, when they’re not driving me crazy. For about a year now I’ve had this line stuck in my head, “But I don’t have four hundred dollars.” It’s not connected to anything. I’ll have to put it somewhere, though, so it will quit bugging me. Such is the case with the manuscript I just gave my editor. 

For the longest time I had two thoughts floating around in my mind, along with about a thousand others. I didn’t have a story for either one, but they kept coming back, poking their heads into my day, asking me if I’d found a place for them yet. They both had potential, yet they continued to flounder. Then one day, they bumped into each other and boom, I had a story.

One of the biggest detriments to inspiration is self-doubt. I struggle with this. Five published books, three of them a series, and a sixth in the hands of my publisher, and doubt still kicks me around at its cruel and arbitrary whim. Sometimes when I’m reading the work of others, something so good it makes me forget there is a world outside the book, I wonder what made me think I could be a writer. 

Then there are reviews. I’ve had mostly good reviews on my books, but a bad one will keep me up at night. It will distract me to the point I have shaved one leg twice and the other one not at all. A bad review will have me staring at my computer screen wondering if it really is five o’clock somewhere. 

One day I looked up bad reviews for writers. Famous writers, wildly successful writers, popular writers with long, lucrative careers. They’ve all had terrible reviews. Some of them, downright vicious. While I hate the thought of any writer experiencing the torment of a bad review, I gained a certain feeling of fellowship with these writers. Hence, an additional mode of inspiration.       

Before I even knew how to read, I expanded on reality to make up stories in my mind. Which brings me to another way to find inspiration. Tag a what-if to a situation. This works for anything. A spider on the wall, someone riding by on a bicycle, driving past a fender-bender. A couple of years ago we were staying at a time share. Near the end of our stay I was sitting on a chair in the living-room facing the kitchen. Staring at the refrigerator, I realized we’d never opened the freezer. I thought, ‘What if there’s a severed head in the freezer?” Okay, I know, it’s twisted. I can’t help it. Comes with the job.

From there I wondered what would happen if we checked out and never saw it. The next people might find it, and of course, the police would want to talk to us. What if they didn’t believe us when we told them we’d lived with this severed head for a week and never knew? From there, the what-ifs were endless.

My point is, inspiration is everywhere. Look, think, don’t think, imagine, throw what-ifs around like they’re an endless supply of magic dust. Value the friends who are supportive and keep it zipped around the naysayers. They’re like bad reviews you can hear. 

With all my heart I hope something I’ve written here helps you find your inspiration. Be persistent. You can do it. I’m rooting for you.   

—

Micki lived most of her life in the wondrous city of Las Vegas, Nevada. For a while she lived in an R.V. with her husband and  was fortunate enough to see every state in this amazing country. Now she lives in beautiful Michigan, where she’s learned about layering clothes and that boats don’t have brakes.

The Marshal’s Pursuit: http://a.co/d/hvHTwhx

The Darkest Sum: http://a.co/arc5JzG

A Scandalous Request: http://a.co/d/83Es2Ym

A Bandit’s Request: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1509227296/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Pc9HDbBBK5HNJ

At Her Request: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DZD6PSV/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_.LvrFbV1D3424

Coming soon: Blooms in the Fall 

You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/mickimillerwriter

@millermwriter

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips