Where do we find inspiration?

Inspiration is a fickle thing. Some find inspiration in large instances; others find it in the simplest of moments: sudden, luminous, and impossible to hold for long. One moment there is only ordinary life, and the next, a stranger, an image, or a voice arrives and quietly insists, “Pay attention. I might be a story.”

Behind the scenes with Eliza: Where do we find inspiration?

Friends often ask me, “How do you come up with this stuff?” For me, it rarely begins with plot. It begins with a disruption—a character who walks into my mind on a Tuesday evening, a fragment of dialogue overheard in a café, the person that cuts me off in traffic. I collect these small disturbances the way some people collect stickers, trusting that, eventually, they will add up to something larger.

Mostly, I start with a simple truth. I pull from experiences that turn into fantastical tales. Jobs I’ve had, people I’ve met, experiences that went awry. When my characters speak to me so much that I can no longer avoid them, I sit down and capture their ups and downs. I ask them about their families, friends and social and cultural experiences.

The world keeps offering tiny invitations: a couple kissing on a park bench, a stray dog following you home, a wait at security at the airport terminal. My job is to trust that these experiences will fit into the margins.

For my fellow writers, I would love to know where you find your own sparks. Do your best ideas appear in the shower, on your commute, in the middle of the night? Share your rituals, your strange little habits, and the places that never fail to wake up your imagination in the comments below.

For my readers, do you look for a “truth” that is easy to identify with in your characters or their situation? Or is it your goal to simply escape?