Great writing ideas need even greater inspiration and inspiration doesn’t usually come like lightning.
For inspiration to hit you, you have to find yourself in the right circumstances at the right time so that the mind can churn out masterpieces there and then.
In fact, great ideas are akin to ghosts: they’re somewhat formed and floating around you, but it takes a certain state of mind to be able to see them. Getting into that mentality isn’t always easy, so finding places that shake up your emotions and shift your perspective can make a world of difference.
A few places that can stir up your creative juices can be as follows:
Haunted Places
No, I am not talking about ghosts and goblins here. Although I agree that, interaction with paranormal forces can stimulate the mind, but that is something which I leave the best for experts to decide.
What I am talking about here is the fascinating potpourri of legends, bloodshed and history that is associated with every deemed haunted place. Take for example ,the Bhangarh Fort in Rajastan,India.
According to different local folk stories, no one is allowed to enter the fort premises once the sun goes down. The locals of Bhangarh narrate several incidents where nomads or volunteers opted for a night stay in the fort, but never made a return from the fort the next morning. Therefore, strict restrictions have been imposed; you have to leave the fort premises before dusk. The main entrance to the fort is locked and remains out of harm’s way till the next morning.
A trip to such haunted places not only give you stories but they also help in getting the unique “local” perspectives which are intertwined to an area. Haunted places smell of restlessness and anxiety and when that is combined with some interesting legends, you end up getting great writing ideas.
Hospitals
Whenever we think about hospitals, disturbing images of grief, tears and loss of our near and dear flash in our minds. But it need not be always like that.
In the very hospital, we can come across some heart rendering stories; a dutiful son donating his kidney to save his ailing father; a little girl valiantly fighting and winning against cancer; a group of unknown people pooling in funds for an expensive operation to save an unknown human. Humanity is at its very best when it is at its most vulnerable point, which comes out oozing, during times of distress.
As writers, we all need to be observers, silently observing the hullabaloo of events unfolding around us and give voice to inspiring, life changing stories which need to be told.
Rest Rooms
Rest rooms have a unique quality within them. For some strange reason, people are at their vulnerable best or worst, when they go to restrooms and I cannot pin point the exact reason of why that is so. But it works!!!
Whatever be the reason, restrooms are places where people make unlikely friends and open up their hearts to total strangers. Whether it is the well-dressed suave executive who complains about his horrible boss or it can be the attractive girl talking about her marital problems while touching on her lipstick. It can even be the “boss” himself who slips out something from his mouth, which he is not supposed to.
I am not telling here that writers should move lock, stock and barrel to the restrooms to write (That would be too extreme !!). I am just telling to keep your eyes and ears open, even at the unlikeliest of places. Ideas come when you least expect it.
Planes and Trains
Often it’s hard to be creative because most of the times, you are involved in multiple other activities which distract your mind and prevent the ideas to flow uninhibited. Creativity requires absolute dedication of mind and soul and nothing should come in between!
When you’re traveling though, you feel like you’re getting something done because you’re headed somewhere, so whatever you decide to do to pass the time doesn’t much matter — with so few distractions or things to do, this is a fantastic time to start creating something. Plus, what’s more inspiring than clouds out your window in a plane or zipping through a picturesque countryside in a train?
Nightmares and Fantasy Dreams
Nightmares and fantasy dreams are often due to physical and emotional stress, disappointments and aspirations, we undergo in our lives. However, this mid-dream subconscious state always inspires great ideas.
While sleeping, You’re less critical of yourself, less discerning about what you’re writing down, and you can therefore just let the ideas flow. Oftentimes, the next morning you’ll be doing lots crossing out and head shaking over silly ideas you had thought were genius; but, a few gems tend to pop up making it all worthwhile.
Great writers harness successfully the immense power of the subconscious mind and are ready with a list of ideas by the time they wake up and start writing in the morning.
Kindergarten School
Childhood is an age of wonder, splendor and innocence. A child has the inherent ability to be insanely curious about everything or everybody. Just Observe them carefully and you can get all the ideas you want for writing. Along with the ideas, you also get to know, new perspectives and amazing new ways of doing simple things.
No one is a better teacher than a child!! They teach us lessons which are perennial, hard hitting and never forgotten!!! So next time, when you are in the lookout for some unique ideas and perspectives, just head towards your nearest kindergarten school; you will get all the ideas you want.
A Long Lonely Walk
A long lonely walk through the city or even through the suburbs is one of the easiest ways to generate ideas. It also gives you the added time to reflect about your own life, on who you’ve become and who you want to be. Think of your own life as a journey, as a fascinating story worth telling, and find inspiration in your own experiences.
Walks can be the most peaceful part of your day. Avoid distractions, discover new areas, and bounce ideas around in your head. When you go to sit down and create, your ideas will have already begun to take form.
Bringing it All Together
Gone are those times, when writers used to lock themselves in a closed room, cutoff from the world and used to churn masterpiece after masterpiece. Today’s readers are smart, intelligent and they want variety in what they read. Today’s readers expect your work to surprise them and take them to far off places, meet extraordinary people and satisfy all their hidden fantasies which they can never do in their lifetimes.
This makes every writer, a forced traveler, a peddler of ideas. A writer needs to travel for ideas, collect anecdotes and legends and string them into a great story worth the shortened attention span of the reader. Great stories are great, not because of amazing word play, they are great because, they transport the reader into a magnificent realm, never ever dreamed or experienced before.