One of the most difficult parts of being a creative writer is knowing where to find the inspiration for your stories. You can’t just go to any old place; you need an idea that will propel your creativity and keep you motivated enough to keep writing. Thankfully, the internet has provided us with hundreds of online resources that can help with our writing. Whether you are looking to brainstorm ideas or just want to learn more about a topic, the web has your answer. Here are just a few of the many websites that can help writers like us get inspired and keep our creative juices flowing:
Museums And Attractions
If you are looking to travel somewhere, then one of the best places for inspiration could be a museum or an attraction. Attractions like the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History or the Museum of Natural History can not only offer you some beautiful pieces of art and information about your favorite topics, but they can also inspire your stories. As a writer, you are bound to have a strong interest in history or nature and are likely to become obsessed with learning more about these topics. A trip to one of these museums could potentially become the catalyst for your next great story idea.
Storytelling And Audio Content
If you want to get your muse flowing, then one of the best places to go is a podcast. There are thousands of podcasts out there, ranging from fiction to non-fiction, covering everything from history to science, politics to sports, and even cooking and fashion. You can listen to as many podcasts as you want, whenever you want, and it’s completely free. Just a few of the many storytelling podcasts you can subscribe to include:
- How to be a Man
- The Adventure Zone
- The Accidental Muslim
- America
- The American Dispatch
- The Art of Fiction
- Astonishing Stories
- Autobiography
- BizEaze
- Brain Storm
- Burning House
- Criminals
- Daily Science
- Dino Dan
- Empire
- Forgotten Tales
- Fuller’s Fortnight
- Grit
- Have You Seen My Trumpet?
- History Repeats
- Homesick
- How to Tell a Story
- In Search of the Lost Civil War
- Julia Donaldson’s The Moose Chronicles
- Legendary Women
- Let’s Get Scripted
- Make Your Own Rules
- McLintock!
- Memoirs.
- Mr. Mercedes
- Penny Pitching
- Radio Detective
- Recovery Road
- Salon Francais
- Sherlock Holmes
- Somebody Knows Something
- The State of American History
- Tell Tale
- The True North
- Where Are They Now?
- Why I Am A Liberal
- The Yellow House
Let The Words Flow
Another great way to get inspired is to simply let the words flow. Whether you are sitting at your desk or in a comfortable chair, put yourself in a place where you can let your mind wander. If you want to write a story, let yourself be drawn into the narrative and allow the words to come flowing from your fingertips. This might mean getting out of your comfort zone and stepping into the unknown. But that is the exciting place to be as a writer, right?
Creative Writing Websites
If you want to write creatively, then the internet has made it possible for you to find online communities that can help with your writing. Some of the more prominent creative writing websites include:
- Brainstorm
- Goldstine Press
- The Institute of Creative Writing
- The Muse
- Quiet Mountain
- Rocking Chair Writers
- Squid Game
- The Waverley Anthology
- Wherever You Are
- Yojana
These websites and communities are incredibly useful because they provide you with a place to write and read works by talented writers. Additionally, you can find forums where aspiring writers can ask questions and get feedback from more experienced writers. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a creative writer per se, you can use these sites to help you grow as a writer. Aspiring writers can look up your name in the creative writing journals and find your work online. This will give them a good idea of your writing style and help them decide whether or not to continue pursuing creative writing as a career. For more information on how to become a writer, check out the Creative Writing for Dummies book by Laura Park.
Thematic Resale
Thematic resale is the act of buying and selling works based on certain common themes or subjects. For example, if you were to go to a themed resale marketplace like Designtex and search for “African American History”, you would get a huge amount of relevant results that pertain to your search topic. The idea behind these markets is that you can find a unique piece of art that will provoke a strong emotional response in you or in the person you are buying it for. This, in turn, can lead you to write something about the piece. For example, if you found a painting that prominently featured an African American man and you bought it thinking that it would somehow spark your creative juices and help you write a story about African American History, you would be correct. But without the painting having anything to do with it, you would simply be writing about history. The point here is that you can’t always know what type of inspiration your work will give you. Sometimes you will find yourself inspired by something unrelated to your work, but you will never know until you try. So, while we wait for the muse to come and visit you, which she will undoubtedly bring a friend, try out these websites and see what inspires you.