I wanted to tell all about how my family was my inspiration. However, while I love them dearly and know they will be reading this, they are not my only inspirations. I have been inspired many ways and by many things in life. They are absolutely one, but again not all credit to them.

I have been inspired by nature. Nature has caught me off guard and sparked an idea many times over. From the colors of fall to thunderstorms with winds that blew so hard the entire house shook. Storms usually invite ideas of fight scenes or emotionally packed arguments. Fall colors tend to bring about this peaceful state for my writing that I feel can be read well from my words. I always try to let sunshine and happiness tie together, but those days where it is just so hot someone cannot breathe tend to show some anxiety. Light rain. Well that just puts me to sleep so I doubt I am up writing if I am being honest.

Little towns. Little towns are the absolute best. Seeing the buildings and watching as a town actually comes alive during a day. It is just a different kind of energy. Older small towns always help me write the feeling of someone coming in to shake things up, and no one likes an outsider pieces… because honestly no one trusts the outsider.

People. Now people are everything. You don’t have to know someone to describe them, to create a backstory, or to build on their conversations. In truth, just so everyone is aware, writers are supremely successful at listening in on other people, (Yes I avoided using eavesdrop) and while they won’t copy word for word it is easy to take a conversation and build on it. We write what we know and when it comes to people it is all about the observation.

To be blunt there are people who were deliberately put into a piece because as writers someone might not inspire the best creatively and they then become the villain. (Going to be honest right here and say I do not feel bad). Some people inspire in the best of fairy godmother type ways with their innate goodness. Those bright eyed humans always help bring the good to a story even if it is just from a casual observation. What we see is what we know.

Other writers and authors. Now here is where I can say openly that everything I have read (The good, the bad, and the ugly) has inspired me in one way or another. Seeing how someone can create their own world/s and build something from nothing other than their own creative mind is inspirational beyond all belief. We have some pretty spectacular pieces out there, but those pieces all came from a string of brilliance in one mind. Most of the time that string of brilliance is not the only one that an author has to give to the audience. That. Is. Magical. I love reading and falling into someone else’s work. It is something that I cannot fully describe, but I am trying. It is like letting your own mind wander on the trip of a life time, and you get to go on a new one with each piece. This right here could be considered the start of a love letter to every author who has inspired me to follow my passion.

Workbooks and prompts. These amazing little things are there to inspire a jumpstart for the mind. I absolutely can fall into another reality when I need to with these. They always give me a creative push when I feel just on the outside. I have a ton of books full of exercises and prompts and I honestly need to start doing them daily. I was for a while, but then things got hectic and I need my healthy writing patterns back.

Self inspiration… Now here is one that is always a little hard for me to tap into. I know I can, but it is hard to bring up certain things that I have gone through. However, an author’s best friend is personal experience. It is everything that we go through pouring out onto the page. It doesn’t have to be exact, but it is sharing a piece of yourself with the audience. It is giving a part of yourself to the world and I don’t think there is anything more beautiful or harder to do than giving that piece to everyone. I have learned that I cannot be afraid to open up and give that piece away.

Friends. The people you choose to be your other family. They are the ones you choose who choose you back. They are extremely important for what you want to build in those who surround your main characters. If they are good show the world some of their goodness. If they are badass don’t be afraid to show it. (Same with family. A badass is a badass and should be congratulated on being so amazingly awesome.) Even the friends who don’t stay friends, the ones who turn around and do something horribly betraying, write them in. Use the experience given from an ex-friend because those people are important characters to have as well.

Of course family is an inspiration. Parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and my cousins (who I am not lacking any numbers in whatsoever) are everything to me. My family is everything. They are not just people they are THE people so I could have bunched them in with my people section above, but I didn’t want to. I needed them to have their own separate special place here. Mostly because I don’t want to hear it when I get home. They are the ones who show us what to expect from the world. They can shelter us or bring reality crashing down upon us, but they are family. I have been blessed with an entire family of crazies who I absolutely love and adore. They inspire me in all different ways to go for it where my dreams are concerned. My nieces and nephews are huge inspirations. They are so young and to see the world in their eyes is amazing.

Use it all. Let the inspiration come from everywhere. Don’t let it just sit in your mind as an oh that could be an idea. Follow the idea. Write it down. Let it take off and see where it leads you. Be inspired and recognize everything in the world for what it is. An inspiration. This world is a beautiful and inspirational place.

-Adrianna