I need inspiration!

[crystalpisces]

What do you do when you need inspiration? I need some real bad as I am stuck on my story.

[Raphael]

What sort of story is it?

[crystalpisces]

It's in the Fantasy section of Novels if you wanna take a look.

Basically it's a story written in almost a diary format. It's about a woman who belongs to a very humanoid species that can control certain powers, needs drugs(Meth and cocaine) to survive, and in general it's very dark, or I want it to be.

[sapphire]

I find that it helps to outline my stories before I start writing them. I used to write without an outline, and I got stuck all the time. It's not that the outline has to be concrete and can't change, but it helps to know ahead of time where the story is going and what needs to happen between point A and point B.

Otherwise, I find it helps to listen to music that fits the story, or watch movies with characters facing similar situations - emotional or physical. It also helps me to get outside. Spend some time with just yourself and nature and think about the story while you're out there.

[crystalpisces]

That sounds like it'll work, going outside and what not. I never do outlines. I don;t want to know where I am going. I like my stories to be a surprise, even to me if that makes sense haha

[sapphire]

It does make sense. I used to be the same way.
I do recommend trying an outline just once, though - to see if you like it. I never thought I would, but my writing professor last year offered to help me put together an outline for a story I was revising, and it was amazingly helpful. Maybe not with your novel, but a story in the future? Perhaps try it with a short story to see if it works for you.

But yes, nature is very inspiring. I hope it helps!

[crystalpisces]

Ok that sounds good!

[Endovia]

I like outlines, even if my story tends to change from my original plan. It's just nice to jot everything down and then you can always go back to your original plot/scenes if you want to.

This is really simple and I guess kind of obvious, but reading books inspires me. I see styles I like and then I want to emulate them, though at the same time I want my own unique voice, and so I'm trying out new things and seeing what I like and don't like.