Topical Inspiration

I have a notepad by my desk where I write down ideas for this blog.  As I’ve mentioned previously, I have to plan in advance to blog, so sitting there waiting for brilliance to just show up isn’t practical.  As an idea appears, I write it down.  But where do those ideas come from?

Basically, they come from anywhere.  An offhanded remark can become a topic.  I’ve had ideas about what to blog about while blogging(one thought becomes another and spins off from there).  I read other blogs, look at books, see what animals run through my yard, etc.  Sometimes they’re deep, like when Sarah Hoyt and JA Konrath were talking about their forays into indie publishing.  That spawned a lot of research and posts that took days to craft.  Sometimes they just come to me, like when I was writing Schism and thought about the level of research versus the amount of that research that was included in the book.

Bottom line is that writers have to be open to ideas from anywhere, whether that’s for a blog or a book.  Inspiration is rarely something you can order and expect to just show up.  When it strikes, be ready.