As a writer, I love pretty much all forms of the written word. From fiction to poetry, non fiction to blog posts and articles, I will devour the written word happily. As a writer, I try my hand at all different types of writing but obviously find that I have my strengths in certain areas of writing rather than others.
I’m happy to write blog posts and articles until the cows come home. That’s what my job is and something I am happy to do – I am lucky to be able to be paid for doing something I love. However I also like to write fiction – I’ve got a half written novel sitting on my laptop at the moment – and the odd piece of poetry. In fact I often like to enter writing competitions with my work.
But where exactly do I get my writing inspiration from? Multiple authors, writers and poets across the years have cited well known sources over the years and I would be no different. I have certain authors who definitely inspire my fiction whether it is within their genre or not. I have poets that I adore and wish I could emulate their lines of prose. Whilst mine may not be anything like theirs, I do think sometimes you can find who or whom I have been inspired by. Even articles can inspire me. Some people truly are gifted at writing articles about the most random of things – you just know that someone wouldn’t be able to capture the essence of the story like they do.
This list of ten poems about love for the romantic within from Roses Only has really got my creative juices flowing again. With poetry from Keats and Emily Dickinson included, how could you not be inspired? Roses Only are a rose delivery company who deliver love, with only the world’s finest long stemmed roses. If anyone is qualified to talk about the best love poetry out there, I definitely think they are and the poems they have chosen have really got me inspired to try my hand at poetry once again.
I’ve got a writing section on this site which has been woefully neglected for the best part of a year. I occasionally share my work with you and would love to do that again. Even if I don’t share any new work, I would love to talk about what is going on in my life as a writer – what elements of writing I have been trying my hands at, whether I have entered any writing competitions, what happened with those writing competitions.
I’d love to talk about my writing journey, about what started me on this path, about who really inspired me all those years ago. Like many well known writers, there are plenty of well known sources that I could quote but there are other everyday people that have also made such a big difference and impact on my life when it comes to writing.
The ten poems Roses Only have shared have really got me thinking about the direction I want to head in when it comes to my own poetry. I find my poems about love are my strongest, although mine are about motherly love, about what life as a mother means to me and how it can change a person. They always get the most feedback and it is always positive – I’d love to see if that truly is where my strength lies and maybe work on that.
I do get inspiration from elsewhere too – not just the written word by other people. Whilst I love nothing more than to sit and read when I get the opportunity, I take inspiration from the world and people around me. That colourful character in your local village could make a great character in a fiction or a great subject to base a poem around. That sunset could be a metaphor for your love and make a beautiful poem or sonnet. There is so much to see and do in this world and so much beauty in it, that it really isn’t hard to find inspiration wherever you look.
My children inspire me, my Dad always inspired me and still does even though he’s sadly no longer with us. The close bond my children have with my Mum inspires me- it is fascinating to watch and I have been writing down lines for a poem I am working on, I truly want to capture the essence of their relationship with each other.
My Nan has battled through adversity but has always championed us children and grandchildren to achieve the best that we can do – she has always stuck by us no matter what we choose to do, even if it doesn’t work out in the end. My cousin wanted to be an actor and singer but life took him on a separate path – she has always supported him through whatever has come his way then and since and has been the same for me too.
Finally, I can even say that I sometimes even find inspiration from myself. Going back through my past body of work can make for a really eye opening process – I can see where my good points are and areas where I need to improve on. I know what areas I need to give more attention and where I know my strengths lie. It may sound a little big headed to say that you can find inspiration from yourself but I don’t think it is – looking back at your previous writing can really show you where you can improve and make your writing even better. Why wouldn’t you want to do that?
These are just some of the places I can find inspiration as a writer. Do you as a blogger or writer find inspiration from particular sources? I’d love to find out where you find your inspiration from – are your inspirations similar to mine? Please let me know in the comments below.
In Collaboration