On Inspiration

Inspiration – there is no such thing as ‘standard’ but that’s okay 

Inspiration is defined as ‘the process of being mentally stimulated to do something, especially something creative’ and ‘someone or something giving you the idea to do something’; which leaves you with an extremely broad scope for where ideas can come from.

This can be particularly telling when you start to think back to how you first developed the concept for a book. As an example of this variation, first let’s explore the difference between the last two pieces I wrote and just how different the places the ideas came from were:

My debut YA novel, Necropolis, due for release in 2020, is set mainly in an army base despite having no direct experience in one and was inspired by the most cliché of things it could possibly be – a dream. Still not sure where the dream came from as it didn’t seem to relate to much going on in my life, however it gave me an idea for a location to set my book in and a few thoughts on how I could open and get into the story.

But, although the first few scenes are directly from this dream, the full plot is woven with ideas inspired by my day job working in the Academy for the local Fire Service, the training we deliver there and the opportunities I’ve had to get involved. As well as from stories I heard from family members and friends as a child about military environments and exposures, combined with things I learnt through my own fascination with all sorts of random things, like tanks, on top of my own personal life experiences. 

Yet my current work in process is the polar opposite; all about faeries and other magical creatures and is inspired and expanded from the stories my aunt and I used to make up about fallen trees whilst we were out on family walks, particularly discussions about how faeries lived in these trees. This was alongside my firm childhood believe that faeries and other creatures were real, so how I used to create extra tales to justify and try to prove it – and now these memories are coming back to me and inspiring me to share them. 

Just these two works, both that I am passionate about and have adored writing, show how varied and obscure ideas can be and that the inspiration can come from any part of your life – be that your own imagination as an adult or a child, stories created with others or told by others, and just the things you stumble across, do or see, in day-to-day life which, once you start writing, seem to fall into place.

There is no standard form or source for inspiration, and sometimes it will be from the ‘norm’ that you see every day and at other times it will be from an exciting one-off adventure you’ve been on or something hidden in the depths of your memory that you’d almost forgotten. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with such diversity and without it we wouldn’t have so many incredible stories and ideas out there today.

The hardest part about this inspiration, as well as how varied it is, is knowing when it is useful or when it’s an idea that, unfortunately, won’t play out quite like you hoped. However, the most important thing to remember – particularly as writers, artists or in any creative position – is that you have nothing to lose by trying an idea.

For me, some of the core concepts I have tried when reaching a turning point in a plot, or even when trying to begin a story, have fallen flat and I just haven’t been able to make them work in the direction I wanted… but more often than not, although that distinct idea from one very specific inspiration didn’t work, it actually becomes its own source of inspiration. Then, the thought process of trying to make it work triggers different thoughts and concepts that take you to a whole new idea, which can then flourish and you can completely excel yourself in – proof than inspiration can come from anywhere and when you least expect it. 

Nonetheless, there are times that inspiration won’t quite fit or work out, and although it can be disheartening it is important to remember that this doesn’t stop you moving on and finding new inspiration. You must never forget that if you hadn’t tried the idea then you would never know, and that would risk losing out on something worth a whole lot more. It may even be that, although that one source of inspiration wasn’t right at the time, it comes back to you at a completely different time when you have another idea which fits with it perfectly, balances it out and makes the original idea flourish even more.

Equally, inspiration will be something different for everyone, and even for one person will change dependant on where you are in life; one day it may seem like you’ve been inspired by something completely normal and mundane, yet the next day may feel like the most unusual idea you’ve ever had – both are equally valid. This variation is vital, not only to continue developing such a diverse and interesting world of literature and art, but also for us to grow as people and continue to inspire each other. 

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Bethan Louise Evans is the YA author of ‘Necropolis’.

She draws inspiration from experience working in health and social care as well as in the academy for the local fire service, where she assisted with training scenarios; often as a casualty being cut out of cars or doing special effects make-up. An only child, born in Wales and raised in the South of England, she has always had an active imagination and been an avid reader, often living with her head in the clouds.

She has dreamt of being an author since she was six and has the childhood stories to prove it – including one that consists of three pages of the word ‘very’ repeated, just to make it the longest story she had ever written (although I’m not sure how she thought nobody would notice). With a passion for not only writing but anything to do with the theatre and spending time with friends and family she is also an advocate for mental health and hopes, in the future, to use her writing to help others, reduce the stigma around mental illness and normalise conversation around mental health.

Social Media links:

www.facebook.com/BethanEvansAuthor/ 

Twitter handle – @_BethanEvans_ 

Instagram – @bethan_evansauthor

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips