What inspires your writing?

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Usually my writing is inspired by strong personal issues, philosophical thoughts, reactions to tpolitical news or just an idea I got on a whim (one song lyrics were written about a fire written in a metaphorical way, to nice effect.)

My writing is always for lyrics, so I imagine that short story/novel writers will have different responses.

I write short stories and see inspiration everywhere. Yesterday, driving across Ballard Bridge, I saw people in canoes in the water below. I can create a story from that. This morning, we had the fiercest thunderstorm in Seattle in years. I can write a story about that. Occasionally, a fly goes buzzing around in this living room I'm typing this in. I can write a story about that. That's what so nice about art. It's a boundless pool of imagination and only those who create know its limits.

Almost anything. I once got an idea just by walking past a car, looking at the trunk, and suddenly thinking of something. News stories, pictures, "visions", I struggle to get all the ideas that pop into my head down so I can sift through them for the best ones.

I mostly write creative non-fiction (mainly essays but one book so far and another on its way) and I find that I need "something to push against" in order to write. I rarely come up with an idea out of the blue of something I want to say. I need something to react to, whether it's someone saying/writing something I disagree with or a news story I want to analyze from a particular perspective or even, as inthe case of my book, a publisher telling me what sort of thing they want me to write (so long as it's something I feel qualified to write and interested in.)

The metaphor I like is swimming: I swim better when I push against the side of the pool because it gives me more forward momentum and helps me to go father, faster. And I write better when I push against other people's ideas.

Sparrow

Life, and observing the topics I'm writing about.

Interesting, I thought it'd be harder for most writers here to get inspiration. I usually need a lot of emotion to pen down the lyrics I want to write and I am fairly unemotional generally, so though I have many inspirations (visual and audio art-wise), I need to feel the strength of the idea/emotion before I can write well.

I suppose that's true of all art though; if there's no emotion involved then you are not truly at your best.

FOllow-up question: what emotions do you tend to express in your writing? For me it is often anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, hope, and empowerment, which lends my lyrics a mix of depressing, angry and optimistic, a rare mix for a metal lyricist.

For writing fiction, I'm inspired by reading things that I find slightly unsatisfying, and challenging myself to do better than that. For poetry, I'm inspired when I have a strong emotion that I feel I can explore with an interesting metaphor.

my desire to log my thoughts so i do not have to rethink them again.

Another follow-up question: do you usually have to explain your writing to other people? Apparently my use of metaphors is very odd.

I have a fixation on wastelands it seems when I am sad when most people write about pining for others, I know that is odd.

When I'm writing angry thoughts down it somehow always elates whoever I'm angry at to a government official for some reason...not sure why that is.

i have not edited out the tautology in my previous post.

In collaborative writing, I always need to explain the premise/plan repeatedly to someone, which makes me increasingly frustrated. Also, when they're inclined towards drama or a heroic plot, I find it hard to focus and keep my work as minimalistic as I like to read.

Metaphors though have never been a problem with others, but I use them only when I write alone. No one criticized it so far.

My writing usually comes from my mood. Most recently it's been depressed or in love. I don't usually have to explain it to people, but sometimes people don't get it.

What inspires my writing?

Life experiences, music, emotions, my own imagination and nature, I would say. I tend to listen to a lot of Ambient and Chillout music

before I start a poetry session because it helps me to calm my mind and get me focused on the task at hand, which is writing.

But you see, great inspiration always seems to strike me when I have nothing to write on, and I end up forgetting, which is frustrating.

^ Hello, person with the best username I've seen here!

Hello!

So you like The Jesus And Mary Chain? They're one of my all time favourite bands.
I like their lyrics; Jim and William Reid are amazing songwriters, such an inspiration!

My feelings. I can't really express them verbally, so writing is my outlet.