Finding Inspiration for your Writing
Where can YOU find inspiration for your writing?
This piece was first published in the newsletter for the Montana chapter of SCBWI—the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I was asked to write a piece about my three-month sojourn in Europe that started in November of 2022, I was happy to talk about the trip, but not sure how my ramblings would be of benefit or interest to anyone else, especially writers. Then it dawned on me. One of the unexpected perks of this trip was the amount of inspiration it spurred for my writing. I hope this article encourages others to actively seek the muse.
It all began when my overworked husband decided it was time for an extended vacation abroad. Since I homeschool our (now eleven-year-old) daughter, we could make that happen. The plan was to spend three months in Europe practicing our Spanish and visiting ancient ruins—we’re studying ancient civilizations for history.
My husband was wondering if I would write the “great American novel” while abroad.
I did not.
I did write quite a bit, but, more importantly, I garnered a lot of inspiration.
Imagine being on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for over two weeks. For some of you that might sound terrifying (the ocean is so big), but let me tell you, it was the most awe-inspiring, yet relaxing experience of my life to date—except for that one day when hurricane Nicole hit Florida, and hurricane force winds traveled all the way up to the North Atlantic whipping up 21-foot waves. That aside, to see nothing but blue water in every direction for days on end makes you realize just how small we are in this big, big world. Plus, the sunsets over the ocean never get old.
The people watching is great fun too. Take the eccentric elderly couple who joined us for a dolphin excursion in Gibraltar. The husband wore a top-hat and suspenders. The wife wore what appeared to be a hand-quilted ankle-length dress and ribbons tied at odd angles in her hair. Once the tour guide on our little boat spotted dolphins, the husband helped his wife up onto the deck where she attempted to speak with the dolphins in clicks and squeaks. Meanwhile, the wind tried to carry the gentleman’s hat away. Luckily, a fellow passenger caught it before it went overboard. I tucked those people and experiences away for later use as interesting characters in a story someday.
Our transatlantic cruise ended in Portugal where we only stayed a couple of nights before starting the train portion of our journey. We would cross a lot of the European countryside by rail over the next two months. There would be good moments and bad on the trains, but it would turn out to be an unforgettable experience.
Between Berlin and Prague our train passed through several small towns. In some of these track-side towns, you could still see what must have been the old train station—a small two-story stone building with a lookout balcony on the upper floor and a long platform at ground level spread out on both sides of the exterior of the station. I didn’t give these crumbling buildings much thought as we passed them until I saw a woman standing on the upper balcony of one such run-down structure smoking a cigarette and watching as our train rolled into the newer station parallel to the old tracks. Immediately, the questions began. Who was she? What was she doing on the balcony of a seemingly abandoned building? How did she get in there? Why was she there?
As our train pulled away from that station, my brain began to supply answers to the questions, and I had a new story to write. I opened the laptop and spit out 2,000 plus words before we reached Prague. How I got that many words written I don’t know. If you’ve ever heard of the black forests of Germany, you can picture the distracting beauty we were traveling through. Seared into my memory is the twilight scene just as we were crossing into the Czech Republic of the black glassy Elbe River flowing through a snowy valley filled with dark, dark evergreens and jagged peaks in the distance. It was like something out of an epic movie.
There were other (smaller) moments of inspiration throughout our time abroad. Watching swans in Switzerland and sea gulls in Spain (something this landlocked gal doesn’t get to see often) inspired new lines for a picture book I’ve been working on (stuck on) for years.
We spent the final week and a half of our trip in Norway and Iceland. At a museum in Oslo, we saw artifacts from the Middle Ages as well as the world’s oldest runestone (a stone with Viking runic writing). For several months now, I’ve been trying to come up with an artifact I could infuse with magical powers for a MG novel I’m working on. The runestone was just the thing I needed!
The city of Bergen is a great jumping off point to see the fjords of Norway. Unfortunately, the day we chose for our fjord cruise, it was raining buckets! I have never seen so much rain come down so hard for such an extended period. We were disappointed and thought our cruise was going to be a big waste of money. The boat was enclosed and quite warm and comfy inside, but you could hardly see anything through the rain-spattered windows. Photographs were certainly out of the question. That is, until about an hour up the coast from Bergen, the captain slowed the boat. My husband decided to go above deck and brave the elements. It was too rainy to do much up there, but the back of the boat had an open area with an overhang. The passengers took turns standing in this area to view and record the rugged beauty of those sheer cliffs of black granite jutting straight up to the heavens with waterfalls pouring over their sides.
The rain at this point was a thin mist, and we were able to get many pictures and videos, though they can never do justice to the original. The fjords of Norway will always live in my memory as one of the most breath-taking places I’ve ever seen. And it is now the setting of a YA manuscript that I had started working on a year ago but had lost inspiration for. I’ve been able to breathe fresh life into that storyline.
Not everyone will get the opportunity to spend three months on another continent. But you don’t have to go that far for inspiration. If you’re feeling stuck, I encourage you to get out somehow. Go somewhere you don’t usually go. I find that nature offers the most fuel for creativity, but the hustle and bustle of an unfamiliar city can be inspirational too. We’re fortunate we can boast of the two most striking National Parks—Glacier and Yellowstone—in this lovely state of Montana. We also have several state parks. What about you?
Where can you go to get out of your familiar rut?
Can you go on a short road trip? Are there any national or state parks nearby?
Or why not just visit one of your city parks?
Get across town to somewhere you don’t usually go,
Perhaps even a local museum.
Inspiration can be found just about anywhere if we are watching for it and open to it.
I think there is a lot of value in getting out of our usual routine and usual locale. It gets the creative juices flowing.
So where are you headed? Where will you find inspiration?
Happy Writing!
P.S. If you’re interested, you can see pictures and videos of the trip on my Instagram travel page @learningherenthere.
