writers.com feature:

Inspiration

By Paula Guran

Stuck for ideas? Looking to jump start your writing? This month *Writers.com* offers five ways to get your words flowing.

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WHAT IF?

"What if...?" is the beginning of a question with countless answers and endless possibility. A key starting point for many forms of speculative fiction from alternative history to considerations of physics to the wonders of the supernatural, "what if?" can also be applied to the mundane (Shylock, in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice," asks, "What if my house be troubled with a rat...?"), the whimsical, the philosophic, and the comic -- sometimes in combination. Start with "what if?" and see where it leads you.

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YOUR LIFE STORY

Everyone's life is a story. Flannery O'Connor said that anyone who survived beyond the age of twelve has enough fictional material for the rest of her life. Your own personal experiences can act as a catalyst for your writing. Select an incident from your life as a starting point: an event from your childhood that made a lasting impression, meeting a memorable person, a misunderstanding or disagreement -- any one of your memories. After writing down the facts as specifically as possible, take the time to think about what happened as a result. Did you learn a lesson? Could you see a different point of view as a result? How did the event affect you? Write about it. Although this may, in itself, be inspirational, a further step may reward you even more. Wait a few days then rewrite your realization from an entirely different perspective that embraces a different age, sex, and economic situation, perhaps even another nationality, race, or religion. You might even envision another historical era.

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DREAMS

Whether it is a single lingering image, an emotional state, or an intricate fantasy, your dreams can inspire your writing. Jorge Luis Borges even said that writing is "nothing more than a guided dream." Some writers keep dream journals, others jot down what they can recall of a dream as soon as they wake up. Try using what you recall of a dream to start writing. You can even try writing in a "dreamlike" way. If you recall vague, fragmented images, try writing in this manner. If your dreams are more cohesive and vivid, try writing in this style. Is there a particularly memorable dream you can recall from childhood? Write it down. What emotional state are you in when you awaken from a dream? Use that feeling and write from within it.

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READ

"Read, read, read," advised William Faulkner. "Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window." News articles and nonfiction are obvious sources of ideas, but single words or short phrases, a line of poetry or a sentence of fiction can also inspire you. Try taking your word or phrase and writing about it as fast as possible. Don't hold anything back or censor yourself. After ten minutes or so, stop and read what you've written. You may discover ideas that prompt further writing

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OBSERVE

If you wish to truly learn from observation, more than mere watching and listening is involved. As Sherlock Holmes fictionally said to Watson, "You see, my friend, but you do not observe." Watson noticed all the same details that Holmes had, but he also needed to put his observations into context and deduce the meaning to decipher the clues. Writers can learn this way, too, but taking elements *out* of context can also be a catalyst. Observation of the everyday can also lead to abstract thought and imaginative insight. Think about this snatch of conversation: "Human collusion, deception, and delusion are so common." Where does it lead you? Consider this image: walking through a turnstile. Can it be more than a simple act? Observation can include other senses as well. The scents, textures, and tastes of life will also offer inspiration.

Copyright (c) 2007 Writers on the Net. This feature was originally published in "Writers.com," the monthly electronic newsletter of Writers on the Net. This publication may not be reproduced in print or posted elsewhere on the Web or used in any other fashion, in whole or in part, without written permission from Writers on the Net/Writers.com. Subscribe here or by emailing writers@writers.com.

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