Painters search for beautiful landscapes that they can
recreate on a canvas with brushstrokes. Poets draw inspiration from the world
they know and see to pen wonderful lines of poetry. Writers can do the same by
morphing what they see with their eyes into words and sentences in their novels.
Look at a landscape as an artist would. See how it flows
and rolls, how the grass sways and dances with the wind, how the sun comes down
in beams through puffs of clouds. Instead of panting it, you’re writing it. The
effect can be one in the same because you are literally painting the image in a
reader’s mind.
Study the world as a poet would. Find different ways to
describe what you see. Once, when I was taking a walk and admiring the sky, I
noticed how the setting sun transformed the fluffy clouds, giving them pretty
pink and purple hues like cotton candy. My brain lit up with that
thought, and I immediately used it in my book: A cotton candy sky.
The news is a great substitute if you do not have
experience with something you need to write about. When I was re-writing my
first book, I had collected articles from newspapers and jotted down specific
notes that I found interesting. It’s a crazy world out there. Use it! Watch
your local news and read articles. You never know what may inspire you.
Once you open your eyes to the world, you will find writing
possibilities everywhere. That is why I always have a notebook and pen, because
I never know when I may see something that I’ll need to put in your book, or
hear a snippet of a passing conversation that sounds exactly like something one
of my characters would say.
After all, the world is a great writing tool!
SHARE: What is your favorite writing tool for inspiration?
Mine has to be my past. There’s a lot of juicy stuff in my
history that I tweak for my characters.
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