{"id":43805,"date":"2026-05-25T11:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T23:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=43805"},"modified":"2026-05-25T11:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T23:18:09","slug":"ideas-are-everywhere-a-post-from-inside-the-writing-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2026\/05\/25\/ideas-are-everywhere-a-post-from-inside-the-writing-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Ideas Are Everywhere: A Post From Inside The Writing Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken a closer look at both finding inspiration<\/a>, and inspiration versus perspiration<\/a> — and a big part of inspiration, of course, is finding the ideas that ‘speak’ to us and spark more ideas. A cascade of them, if we’re lucky!<\/p>\n

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We must capture those first ideas, too, as with the handwritten beginnings for “Thornspell”<\/p><\/div>\n

Which may be why a frequent question, both when I give talks or workshops, or do interviews, is “where do you get your ideas?” My answer is two-fold.<\/p>\n

First, that the ideas that spark for me tend to come from pursuing the things I love. In my case, that’s myth and legend, folklore and fairytale, history, the martial arts, and the natural world — to name just a few, but I’m sure you get the idea. I believe that doing and pursuing the things we love will generate creative ideas and activities based on them. (Assuming we are creatively inclined, of course. \ud83d\ude42 )<\/p>\n

\"Aikido<\/p>\n

But also (and I believe I may have said this here before, too) ideas are everywhere. If we observe the world around us, both people and environments (whether natural or built), watch or listen to a newscast, or read a newspaper or magazine, they are full of stories. Some of the stories are violent and cruel and brutal, others inspiring and life-affirming; some are so big that they affect nations, while others are completely local — but they are literally everywhere.<\/p>\n

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A newspaper feature on the man and story captured in Rhian Gallagher<\/a>‘s “Feeling for Daylight”<\/p><\/div>\n

So all we need do to find ideas is open our eyes and ears and pay attention — or as the great Ursula Le Guin puts it in her book Steering The Craft<\/em> (subtitled, Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew<\/em>):<\/p>\n

“…The world\u2019s full of stories, you just (have to) reach out.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Recent “Inside the Writing Life” Posts on the Craft of Writing<\/h4>\n