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Inspiration is everywhere if you pay attention
A story does not have to be something you make up or invent using pure creativity. I would argue that stories rarely emerge out of nowhere. Authors do not wake up with an idea sparked solely by their imagination.
Most innovative stories come from an author’s lived experiences and beliefs.
It might seem uninteresting to write about our own lives or what we live daily, but the opposite is true. You might have heard the recommendation to “write what you know,” popular advice given to writers by editors and agents and from writer to writer. Only what we know is what we can honestly write with authority and authenticity. And what we know is not uninteresting to those who have not lived our lives.
Asking the right question
I didn’t always believe that “writing what I know” was best because my life is and has been quite ordinary. For many years, I was an elementary school teacher, then I was a mom. I’ve lived an average life. Who cares about what I do or what I think and believe?
But that’s the wrong question. What writers need to ask is how can I tell a good story using what I know? Using personal experiences as a starting point is where great stories come from.
