by Amy Huang

Created on: April 03, 2008

From the bird calls in the morning to the trickling of the soft rain drops on the windows, inspirations can come from anywhere a writer looks, and there is no limit to where it would lead.

Every writer is different and every writer has a need for a specific environment for them to think and be inspired. Some need to have a cup of hot coffee or tea with biscuits before they can start the process of writing, others prefer to be surrounded by people to keep their mind active and constantly changing places to make sure they don't miss any potential ideas.

Writers often keep an open eye and mind when going about their daily business. While at the check out counter of the supermarket, they listen to the conversations and the behaviors of people around them; they watch those waiting in line for their coffee order, and wonder what they do for a living and how they like their coffee; they sit in the park with a notepad and pen in hand, searching for interesting characters and story lines that can be derived from everyday lives.

Dreams make great writing inspirations whenever we can remember them too. Often a reflection on real life in a weird exaggerated way, dreams create wonderful inspiration for story lines making writers often waking up in the middle of the night to write them down in case they forget the next morning.

Personally, my inspirations come from within. Drawing from my life experiences combined with my surroundings, I form words in my mind before putting them onto paper. Inspiration can strike suddenly when staring at my fellow passengers when on a bus, or it can also be triggered by a particular conversation or sound I hear when I am out and about. My cat also inspires me sometimes, with her swaying tail and soft comforting purrs, I'd imagine what she would say if she could suddenly talk.

I also find inspiration in people too, the old and the young, my friends and my enemies. Each of them have a story to tell, each of them a potential character in another's tale.

Inspiration is everywhere a writer looks, even in the oddest, most unexpected place, inspiration is always lingering, waiting to be discovered.

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