Let me be honest: I felt hopeless at finding writing inspiration when I just started. In fact, I began my writing journey by writing fan fiction at the age of 28 (while I claimed on my profile to be an 18-year-old). I felt an immense sense of shame that I couldn’t write my own stories and relied on another author’s story world. But looking back at it now, it was the best thing I could have done. It got me started. I learned how to create a narrative in writing fiction, which is exactly what you need if you’re figuring out how to start writing a novel. So, if you’re struggling with where and how to find inspiration for writing your own stories, my messy journey may shine some light.
How I found writing inspiration in Australia’s stories & landscape
Like you, I desperately sought writing inspiration for my stories. I devoured books on storytelling, structure and plot. I taught myself the tools, even followed an online course at the University of Oxford. But still, I didn’t have an original idea I could dedicate myself to. Then, one day, the answer hit me when I least expected it. It had been within me all along, and I’d been obsessed with it my whole life. When I was twelve, I wrote a geography paper about Australia. I can’t even remember why I chose it. It might have been random, maybe an intuitive nudge, but it captivated me instantly. I was fascinated by the kangaroos and other wildlife, the convict history, and, even more so, The Dreaming. It’s the spiritual belief of Australian Indigenous cultures, which posits that everything – people, animals, and nature – holds a connection, and that time has no beginning nor end.
What I didn’t realise back then was that this ancient land would one day become the writing inspiration for the fictional world I’d create. Ever since that geography paper, Australia has fascinated me. I visited the country in 2012 for the first time, but it wasn’t until 2018, during a prison escape room game, that it triggered my writing inspiration. “What would time feel likes for someone locked behind bars?” I wondered. I connected the sensation with the phenomenon of what the Aussies call ‘The Never-Never’ if they refer to their Outback. Suddenly, it just clicked inside my head: “This is my story setting!” And I imagined a prison in the Australian Outback where time would literally stand still. It has kept me writing ever since, and I believe everyone can find their creative muse, too.
Your creative muse might already be inside of you
Have you ever been somewhere that made you feel fully alive? A place where you felt like the best version of yourself? Maybe it’s somewhere you’ve only visited once, a childhood holiday spot you’re still thinking about. Or perhaps, like it was for me, it’s a place that calls you for a reason beyond logic. If your answers are yes, you might already have found your creative muse trying to speak to you and handing you the inspiration for writing your story.
When I first visited Australia in 2012, I wasn’t thinking about writing a novel. I didn’t know what it was except for the sadness I felt when I stepped on the plane back home. That feeling stayed with me and led me to that ‘Aha’ moment in prison six years later. This was the turning point where my journey in writing fiction truly began. So, if you have a place like that in your life, maybe it’s worth listening to that ache and exploring what story could wait for you there. Your creative breakthrough might just be hiding in what already lights you up.
More writing inspiration in books & history
Once I stopped resisting my passion for Australia and let myself dive in, the creative doors flew wide open. I read everything: whole epistles about Australia’s convict history, Dreamtime stories, Noongar language guides, even a book named How to Make and Throw a Boomerang. I found writing inspiration everywhere, and research had never been as fun before. All these details led to even more ideas that helped me develop my plot, my characters and an entire fictional world.
With every bit of new inspiration, the story world came alive for me. I let myself fall down the rabbit hole, and there’s still no end in sight. I’ve been overflowing my notebooks with the connecting dots I keep stumbling across until this very day. Thanks to my best friend for recommending Scrivener as a novel writing tool, I stopped drowning in sticky notes, Word documents and notebooks. I could organise all my character profiles, plot structure, scenes, and world-building details, which ultimately resulted in my first manuscript.
Travel started my journey in writing fiction
If I hadn’t travelled to Australia in 2012 and felt a strange sense of “homesickness”, I might never have written my novels. This doesn’t mean you need to fly across the world to find writing inspiration. If you’re wondering how to start writing a novel, the answer might be closer than you think. Maybe your story is waiting for you in a place you’ve always been curious about. It could be a weekend away to the city you’ve loved your whole life. A morning at your favourite beach. Or simply learning more about the places and myths that fascinate you.
When I first began exploring my story world, I could only conduct online research, so Google became my best friend. It helped me to find the sensory language I otherwise could only have imagined. But when I returned to Australia in 2023 and set foot on the rugged terrain of the Kimberley for the first time, everything came truly alive. The sensation of the breathtaking scenery and the magic of the ancient land drew me straight into my very own story world. I could feel the red dirt underneath my feet and learned to describe the screech of cockatoos at dusk vividly. Suddenly, I could see my characters walking right across the landscape. Travel offered a much greater source of writing inspiration than my laptop screen ever had.
I go deeper into exactly why these moments can change everything in another blog, ‘7 Reasons Why Travel Is the Inspiration for Writing that Gets You Started Writing a Novel’
My writing journey continues
At the time of writing this blog, 28 years after that geography paper about Australia, I’ve just stepped into a new chapter of my life by becoming a full-time nomadic writer. I flew to Australia on a one-way ticket after I sold my house and quit my job. I’m building a new life around creativity and storytelling, and I’m honoured to share everything I learn with you. Publishing the two novels I’ve written so far will be part of this journey, and it’s scary as hell! Since I pretended to be that 18-year-old girl writing fanfics, I have been avoiding letting the world hear my voice. But I want to start somewhere, and sharing these stories with you here feels like the best first step I can take.
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