✍️ On trips outside my comfort zone
- I got my next psychological thriller script idea from the canoeing trip I went on this past weekend.
✍️ Coffee shops for dialogue inspiration
- Especially helpful for those of us writing in our second tongue. For me this is American English. I find it especially useful when I’m writing in a specific dialect of US English and am lucky enough to live where it’s being spoken.
✍️ The shower
- I get some of my best ideas in the shower. My brain relaxes enough to make new connections, or remember ideas that I’ve been ignoring, but which insist they are written.
✍️ Quiet, nature-filled walking trails
- There’s something about my feet hitting the pavement and listening to the birds that does the same as the shower – it relaxes my brain enough to get that inspiration flowing.
✍️ In bed when I’m trying to go to sleep
- Insomnia is my best friend as long as the ideas are flowing. Sometimes I try to ignore them, but eventually I have to sleep. Hopefully, if I’m feeling wise, I’ll grab my notebook and pencil and write the ideas down. Nothing worse than waking up to find that brilliant idea has totally disappeared from your mind.
Where do you come up with your best ideas? Let me know in the comments
Frank Sinatra - great to find you on here Frank! That's a great idea! What's the most interesting activity you've ever done? I'd love to hear about it. Coffee shops and libraries are great too. Sounds like you've got some good ways to getting inspiration!
I usually find my best work comes out 1 or 2 IPA's deep in front of my laptop.
As for dialogue inspiration, either watching classic films, reading short stories or old news articles and viewing long form documentaries. Listening to music. I'm not much of a nature writer because I tend to be running or working out. I do like to people watch though.