Sometimes I struggle to find a topic for a blog post, so I trawl through my saved images from Unsplash, and find one that inspires or speaks to me.

Inspiration is often a topic people ask me about – ‘Where do you get your ideas from for your novels?’, and the answer is multi-faceted.

Newspapers (The Guardian and The Observer) are occasionally a source of ideas for my novels, characters, or themes. Documentaries on the TV can also yield seeds from which a story may germinate.

Going to see rock covers bands in pubs is a great place to observe a slice of society – outrageous characters, drunken behaviour, and fashion styles that can all add to my character’s behaviours and looks – but never a whole character; I prefer to let my imagination create the persona without the risk of someone recognising themselves and taking umbrage if the characterisation is unfavourable!

But sometimes, ideas just pop into my head or appear in my dreams – and these are the most exhilarating ones to work from. Also, as a novel progresses, ideas develop in the plot that I didn’t foresee originally, which I hope it takes the reader down a path they hadn’t initially seen.

I personally put my vivid imagination down to being an only child, and creating imaginary games and people to play with, by myself. I would make TV cameras out of toilet rolls and perform plays in front of them, in my bedroom. I blame Blue Peter for the toilet roll inspiration!

We’ve all got an imagination, we just have to tap into it by relaxing and letting our minds wander, without letting our internal voice cast doubt on our abilities.

Happy Word Flow One & All