As Picasso once said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” And yet, sometimes we get stuck, and simply working harder isn’t enough. Maybe we can’t think of anything to write about, or perhaps we’ve already started a story but can’t figure out where to take it next.
When that happens, where can we look for inspiration?
Every writer is different, of course, and what inspires me may do absolutely nothing for you. Some people need noise and activity around them to get their creative juices flowing, while others work best in complete silence.
Still, I’ve found that the muse tends to show up more often in certain places. Here are some of my favorite sources of inspiration:
1. Airports and Stations
Airports and train stations are full of people on the move, saying goodbye, coming home, waiting, rushing, meeting again.
Emotions are always close to the surface, and there’s a constant sense of movement and change in the air. All that energy is just waiting for someone to turn it into a story.
2. Gyms and Sports Facilities
I’m talking about the gym, of course, but also swimming pools, bike paths, parks where you go running, or anywhere else you exercise.
Physical activity can be incredibly helpful when you’re feeling blocked. It helps you relax, clears your head, gets your blood flowing, and gives your mind room to wander.
Sometimes the solution to a writing problem appears precisely when you stop trying so hard to solve it.
3. Nature
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer the beach, the mountains, the countryside, or a nearby park. Going for a walk outdoors can be both relaxing and introspective, giving you the space you need to think more clearly.
And sometimes, simply changing your surroundings is enough to see a story from a completely different angle.
4. Museums and Exhibitions
Museums and exhibitions are perfect places to expose yourself to new ideas, unfamiliar worlds, and unexpected stories.
A painting, a photograph, an ancient object, or even a tiny detail in a sculpture can trigger a character, a scene, or an entire plot.
Just don’t forget to bring a notebook and a pen!
5. Concerts
Music can be a wonderful starting point for new ideas.
Go to a concert, play music in the car, put on your headphones while you walk, or stretch out on the couch and listen to your favorite jazz album.
Pay attention to the emotions, images, and memories the music brings to mind. You never know where they might lead.
6. The Theatre
Going to the theatre is inspiring for more than just the stories being performed on stage.
There’s something special about the closeness between the actors and the audience. That immediacy creates an energy that’s difficult to find in other art forms.
A good performance can lift your spirits, sharpen your sense of dialogue and character, and fill your head with creative possibilities.
7. Bookstores and Libraries
And books in general, of course.
When you don’t know what to write, sometimes the best thing you can do is close your notebook—or your word processor—and start reading.
Read fiction. Read poetry. Read plays, essays, short stories, biographies, or anything else that catches your attention.
The idea isn’t to copy what other writers are doing. It’s to fill your mind with language, ideas, images, questions, characters, and possibilities until something new begins to emerge from everything you’ve absorbed.
8. The Internet
Sitting in front of a computer can be like opening a window onto the world.
Of course, it can also be dangerous. It’s very easy to lose an hour—or three—clicking from one thing to another without any real purpose.
But used carefully, the internet can be an extraordinary source of inspiration.
Old photographs, historical archives, maps, strange news stories, forgotten places, paintings, interviews, documentaries, and personal accounts can all become starting points for fiction.
For example, sites such as Free Historical Stock Photos contain collections of old photographs that may be enough to spark a character, a setting, or an entire story.
9. Children’s Books and Dreams
I’ve put these together because sometimes the best way to overcome writer’s block is to abandon logic for a while.
Children’s stories and dreams often work according to their own strange rules. They allow impossible things to happen without asking too many questions about whether they make sense.
And that kind of unreasonable thinking can be incredibly useful for creativity.
Try reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or one of Michael Ende’s novels, for example. They’ll take you into worlds where things are rarely what they seem and ordinary rules no longer apply.
Spending some time in a world turned upside down can be a fantastic exercise for waking up your imagination.
10. Your Pillow
Here’s an interesting technique for dealing with writing problems: go to bed thinking about whatever you haven’t been able to solve.
Maybe you don’t know how a character should react to a particular situation. Maybe you can’t figure out what should happen next. Maybe there’s a plot hole you haven’t managed to fix.
Instead of forcing yourself to find the answer, think about the problem as you’re falling asleep.
In a way, you’re handing the question over to your subconscious mind. While you sleep, your brain may continue making connections in the background.
Keep a notebook and pen beside your bed, because you may wake up in the middle of the night with an idea. Or the solution might appear the next morning while you’re taking a shower, drinking your coffee, or eating breakfast.
It doesn’t always work—but considering how little effort it requires, it’s certainly worth trying.
11. A Blank Page
One of my favorite places to look for inspiration is the blank page itself.
When I need new ideas, I often turn to freewriting. I start with a writing prompt and then write whatever comes into my head without worrying about whether it’s good, useful, or even coherent.
When I’m stuck in the middle of a story, I use a slightly different approach.
First, I write down the question—or questions—I need to answer before I can continue. Then I list as many possible solutions as I can think of.
Some of them will be ridiculous. That’s fine.
At this stage, I’m brainstorming, not editing. The goal is to generate possibilities without judging them too quickly. There will be plenty of time later to decide which answer works best for the story.
12. A Little Bit of Everything
You don’t have to choose just one of these techniques. In fact, combining several of them can work even better.
You might start with ten minutes of freewriting, then go for a walk. You could read for a while, take a short nap, go for a run, listen to music, or visit a museum.
Then come back to the blank page.
Chances are, while you were doing something else, your brain kept working on the problem. And when you return, you may discover that a few new ideas have been quietly waiting for you.
In the end, inspiration can come from almost anywhere.
The important thing is to stay curious, pay attention, and keep giving your imagination new material to work with. Be patient, keep looking, and sooner or later, you’ll find the idea you need.
And when it appears, make sure it finds you writing.