Where to find inspiration? (Part 2)
Welcome back! Here we have the next installment of my “Where to Find Inspiration?” series.
In my last post I talked about changing your perspective by getting your brain engaged in a different task other than writing, getting your body moving, and talking with other creatives. I also talked about how I like to pull inspiration from nature and history via documentaries.
Next up I want to talk about another great source of inspiration: Reading!
It has been recommended to me by more than one person to read lots of different types of writing. I will admit up front, I’m kind of bad at this one. I like to stay in my little comfort zone when it comes to reading and I struggle to read things that I don’t have a vested interest in. As I mentioned before, Dustin likes to read about different cultures, civilizations, and history. Me, not as much. Even so, I think it’s really beneficial to expose yourself to all types of books and writings. Even if you’re not an author, having exposure to a wide variety of subjects and materials can help you find something you enjoy reading. Whenever people tell me they don’t like reading, I counter by suggesting they just haven’t found what they like to read yet. My brother HATED reading in school, until he found math. My brother reads math books and cook books for fun. Uh… what? Who reads a math book for fun? Apparently, my brother, and people like him. It just proves there’s literally something for everyone. But I’m getting off topic. Point is, make sure you take time to read what you enjoy.
As I was saying, I recommend you read lots of different things. Aside from reading for simple enjoyment, reading is also a great way to learn something. (And before you throw your hands up in the air and say “Well, I’m an auditory learner or a kinesthetic learner, not a visual learner, we now have audio books for our auditory learnings. For our kinesthetic learners, you can listen to while you do other things like make dinner or take a walk if you so wish, so you really have no excuse. I digress.) There’s so many different things to read! Ancient writing (like The Odyssey), classic literature, fiction, non-fiction, mystery, romance, sci-fi, math books, and so on. Each one of those has something to teach you. Reading a mystery novel might help you understand how to build suspense, or leave clues for your reader. There’s all types of non-fiction from scientific to historical to biographies to philosophy and more. They can teach you about how our world works, or how people thought at different points in time. In the genre of fiction there’s historical fiction, contemporary fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, and so on. Fiction helps us think about “what could be?”.
I, admittedly, have a bad habit of staying inside my happy little fiction bubble. Even within my favorite genre, I can still glean lots of important things by reading different authors and different types of stories. I might read one author and really like her style of writing and her descriptions. This was exactly the case last year when I was reading a book by Robin Hobb. I genuinely like how she described things in the book and realized that I needed to incorporate more rich descriptions in my book. It was… inspiring! I might read another author and decide I don’t like his or her style of writing and decide I don’t want to write that style of prose in my own work. Further, I think everyone has “story sweet spots”. Stories that they really resonate with. Some common story plots are Save the World, Rags to Riches, Love Triangle, and so on. You can google pretty extensive lists for different ideas on common plots/tropes. Reading lots of stories exposes you to different story types, and helps you learn what you like and don’t like about how different authors choose to resolve their story plots.
Here are some of my favorite books or book series:
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce
- The Dresden Files (series) by Jim Butcher
- The Stormlight Archive (series) by Brandon Sanderson
Try making a list of your favorite books or stories and see if you can find any common threads between them? What do you like about each story? How is that similar to or different from what you like about other stories on your list? Is there a certain trope or plot type that you tend to gravitate towards? How can you use this understanding to your advantage in your own writing? Sometimes finding common threads in things we like helps us come up with new or different ideas or spins on things.
In summary: Read what you enjoy, but also expose yourself to different types of reading for new ideas, styles, and techniques. Examine common themes between stories that you do like, and explore how you can incorporate that into your own creative work, or how you can put a new spin on an otherwise traditional theme.
I’ve still got a few more ideas for this series, so stay tuned for more on places to draw inspiration from. Till next time dear readers, enjoy a warm beverage, a cozy blanket, and a good book. <3
