We’ll be headed home today after a mini-vacation in Chicago. For some reason that I can’t fully explain, getting out of the house is a great source of inspiration for developing existing ideas and finding new ones.
Driving has always been a good way for me to work through plot points or character motivations or figure out what’s missing in a writing project. I was able to use the drive to Chicago to further develop the story for the novel that will be the follow-up to “Signs and Wonders.”
Then on Tuesday, at the Chicago Botanic Garden — in the Japanese garden — came an idea based on something I saw there. So out came the trusty iPod so I could send an email to myself so I can use it down the road somewhere.
On Wednesday, we spent time at the Art Institute of Chicago, where an Edward Hopper painting gave me an idea that could work in a play or novel and the miniature room collection yield an idea for a play. More emails to myself …
Who can say where inspiration will lead us. Just be thankful every time it drops another idea into your imagination.
Where do you find your inspiration?
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If you’re on Facebook, you can “like” the page for Signs and Wonders here.
alexadena 
I found huge inspiration one day from William Blake’s black and white plates for the illustrated book of Job. Not only was the image inspirational, the tears on the face of the mohawk-ed and pierced man standing in front of me imprinted an indelible picture in my mind.
That’s a great source and a very powerful image!