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A true writer will find inspiration everywhere, in everything and anything. It could be the coo of a baby, a bird in flight, a heated conversation to which you shouldn't be privy, childhood memories, the first line in a book, the last word in a poem, the innocent musings of your love-struck daughter, the not-so-innocent talk between your teenage sons or the refrain from that country song you simply can't get out of your head. Inspiration is everywhere and therefore easy to find if you look, touch, taste, smell, hear and sense what is all around you.

Where writers find their inspiration varies with the writer and each will tell you a different story. It is the most asked question when it is discovered you are a writer and yet it is rather personal a question, one which some writers would prefer not to answer. Why would it interest anyone to know where a writer finds her inspiration? Did anyone ask Hemingway, Shakespear or John Lennon? Probably, but it is doubtful they answered, at least not truthfully.

Many writers covet their inspiration jealously. For fear of it being stolen? Maybe. They can be a superstitious lot, you see. But is there any harm in asking? That also depends on the writer.

But still, where do writers really find inspiration? Let's take each in turn.

You hear the coo of a baby while you stand in line at the checkout counter at a clothing store. The baby is gurgling away in his own language completely oblivious to everything except his own sense of contentment. Do you remember ever feeling like that? Think about that and see what comes to mind. There's a story there.

You sit in your backyard reading a boring book when out of the corner of your eye a hummingbird zooms at you, hovers in front of your eyes as if accessing your worth and zooms off again. What in the world was that silly creature thinking? There's a story there.

You're getting on the subway when you hear a man and his girlfriend having a heated discussion. You shouldn't be listening but how in the world could you not? They weren't exactly whispering. He's a jealous control freak and she can't take it anymore. She throws a ring at him and storms out as soon as the train stops. There's a story there.

You see two five year olds playing in a sandbox at the park. They had been total strangers two minutes previous but now they are best buds. You recall doing the same thing an eon ago. But do you recall how it felt to find a new friend and instantly connect? There's a story there.

You open up Jane

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