Inspiration … it’s a word I use a lot in most of my social media posts. You’ll find #inspiration in almost everything I write. I can relate to so many different things as I weave my stories together. Movies, books, television, theater, and music give me the focus and drive in everything I do. Even as I am writing this blog, I am listening to Joss Whedon’s 2005 sci-fi classic Serenity.

Some people get inspiration through meditation and solace while others get it through experiences and community. Jimmy Dean said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” That, in a nutshell, is the true definition of inspiration.

Our senses are the source of our inspiration:  The sight of a beautiful sunset, the touch of a loved one’s hand, the smell of a bouquet of flowers, the taste of an ice cream sundae, and the sound of a touching song. These provide us the input for our inspiration. As an author, I focused on the things I love the most to inspire my writing. Whether it’s watching the original Star Trek TV series, any of the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit movies, or listening to classic 80’s rock like Def Leppard, Duran Duran or Asia, I am inspired to put words to paper.

I know some writers prefer peace and quiet when they right, I need constant sound to help me focus on my writing. It’s a little strange, I know, but I found that by being surrounded by sight and sound, I’m able to push myself to concentrate on my writing. The great actress Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” You can’t argue with that logic.

David Bennet wrote a great blog about #inspiration at the Huffington Post. “Don’t look to the sky or mountains for inspiration. Look beneath the trees and shrubs. Our greatest inspirations can be at our feet at any moment. It reminds me of a time while hiking alone in Arizona, feeling the awe of nature surrounding me without a soul in sight. In my stillness, I heard ‘look down’ and there by my toe was the smallest flower. I would have never seen it. Thanks for the attentiveness of my inner voice. In that moment, that little flower felt like it carried all the beauty of the world. I’ve never forgotten that moment or that feeling.”

It’s the simplest things in life that inspire us. I remember a few months ago when I was working to finish the third book in the Forever Avalon series, The Outlander War. I was looking for a known magical artifact to include in my story. In my novels, I prefer to find  actual things from myth and legend and put my own twist to it. To me, it allows my readers to better identify with my stories. I came across a fantasy movie from 1984 with Sean Connery called “Sword of the Valiant.” Connery played the mythical Green Knight from Arthurian legend. I watched the original trailer and researched the origins of the Green Knight and it fit perfectly into my story.

I wasn’t even looking for it and it found me. That’s the easiest way to become inspired. When you least expect it or don’t even look for it, we find our inspiration. You can find it too.