If you are like me, you may have wondered where your favorite author found their inspiration. Where do stories come from? What sparked the idea that led to the book you hold in your hands?

Ideas are all around us, hidden in the everyday and in the unexpected. But you need to be aware of the world around you to discover the idea that whispers to your heart. It could be as simple as reveling in the beauty of a predawn sky. The lyrics of a long-ago song that moved you to tears are priceless. A stranger’s passing remark could set the tone for your main character. That snippet of a dream that left a smile across your face as you woke.

Capture these moments, they are fleeting and easily lost in the rush and hubbub of the day. They are a treasure of priceless worth for any writer. Gather them up quickly because they are short-lived. Scribble them down on whatever you have on hand, the back of an old store note, a receipt, or even small notebooks hidden throughout your house.

When that blank page or blinking cursor taunts you with its very blankness (and it will), these long-dormant scraps of thought can spark your creativity. And from an idea, your story is born, a story as unique as its writer because no one sees an idea through the same lens of experience and hope.