My Writing Inspiration
Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you couldn't engage with what matters most to you?
How you would feel if it wasn't part of your daily routine and life? For me that's just unimaginable as writing and reading are my passion.
Wherever I am, and whatever I do, whether working as psychologist or spending time with family and friends, ideas enter my head and I always write them down in a note book that I carry with me. It's there next to me on the beach when sunbathing, on the bedside table in case I come up with an idea for a novel while sleeping. Everything around me, people I meet and talk with, an interesting conversation trigger new ideas for characters and story lines.
I write fictitious novels where the people who inhabit them are as real to me as they would be in real life. Only when I cry and laugh with my characters will I be satisfied the story is as good as it can be. Without my characters authenticity, their journey and dilemmas the story's just an empty shell with no depth and emotion. When readers tell me my characters linger in their minds long after they've finished reading the novel That's my greatest achievement.
What is My Inspiration?
My inspiration comes as soon as I enter my office in London or my native Malmö whenever I relocate there to write. Just looking out the window, watching the birds fly high in the sky, listening to their singing and having my gorgeous British Shorthair cat Teddy sitting next to me in his wooden box inspire me to write. After revising the previous day's writing, I set a goal to write x words and edit as I go along. Getting the story together means I'll have plenty of opportunity and time to correct and cut down on words, sentences and paragraphs later and with my editor when we collaborate on the editing process.
Inspiration is such a wonderful thing as it frequently comes from nowhere and through the small things I never expect or visualise. Like a good friend calling out of the blue and suggesting we meet up for Fika ( Swedes love to meet and chat over coffee and cakes in a local cafe ) or taking a walk in a nearby park or common. I frequently walk along the beach and coast line to clear my head and get a fresh perspective on my characters and stories.
Inspiration also comes from feeling happy and good about myself and the life I lead. The people in it matter too and having a cat that relies on me to make him feel loved and safe. In an increasingly stressful society where people are expected to cram as much as humanly possible into our daily lives I prefer to take some time to myself and Breathe and appreciate how wonderful life is when we give ourselves the full attention we deserve.
Inspiration comes from so many things. The passion I feel inside when creating characters and stories. Stories are so important in that they make us feel part of other people's, albeit imaginary, lives. Seeing and experiencing things from their perspective and, above all, feeling as though we're part of their experiences and lives. As a child, I received books for birthdays and Christmases. I loved it back then and still do. Reading is essential to my sense of wellbeing and still very much my favourite pastime and 'guilty pleasure'. Spending time with loved ones and reading are what I treasure most. Each time I start writing a new book, my life's enhanced by a new adventure that even I as author of the novel don't always know the outcome of.
It truly is a labour of love and inspires me to persevere until the end.
Inspiration is about embracing and welcoming the unexpected moments of every day. Not the usual routine but what occurs when we're unprepared for something that unexpectedly enriches our lives. When I'm in quandary about a character and story line, it's usually a minor detail I'm too close to as author to resolve. Instead of agonising over it, I take a short break and leave my office and go outside. A brisk walk in the sunshine, rain or snow clears my mind and gives me the perspective I require to solve the problem. Frequently, distancing myself from a situation, as author and psychologist gives me the answer I need to move forward.
If you can't find inspiration to engage with what matters most to you perhaps you'll feel motivated and inspired when switching off from what distracts you. It works every time for me. After all, the best inspiration is the one we carry inside when doing what we love.
My next novel's set in Norway with a cast of characters whose lives are haunted by past events and brutal crimes in a story where nothing is what it seems.
The novel will be published later this year.