What Inspires Me to Write

It’s a question that fills me with wonder, excitement, and a little dread — because the truth is, everything inspires me.

Plotter at Heart

In the age-old debate of pantser vs. plotter, I am firmly a plotter, and not just in writing, but in life.

I love lists. I love agendas. I love the satisfaction of ticking tasks off one by one. My days run best when they’re mapped and my writing sessions planned.

I recently read Emma Darwin’s brilliant post, Dreaming the Map (https://emmadarwin.substack.com/p/dreaming-the-map-the-efficiency-of) , which perfectly captures how I approach writing. It’s a system that came to me naturally, but seeing it articulated so clearly was deeply validating.

The Blessing (and Curse) of a Writer’s Mind

The blessing of being a writer is that your work never truly stops, which is also the curse.

If I’m in a café, I’ll eavesdrop on snippets of conversation. I’ll find one word to describe someone across the room, then imagine their entire life: their fears, their dreams, their heartbreaks.

When I face a challenge, I often wonder: what would my characters do? Their worlds are far harsher than ours, but grounding them in small, real moments keeps them human. And keeps me writing, even when time is short (especially now with a nine-month-old and another baby on the way).

Why I Write

So, what inspires me? Or, perhaps more importantly, why do I write?

Because humans are beautifully flawed. Because we dream, we hope, we hurt, and we love. Because the storm of emotions we carry deserves to be shared.

Stories are at the heart of who we are. I come from a family of storytellers — and one day, I’ll share my family’s incredible history (which will undoubtedly find its way into a future book). I learned the magic of storytelling from my father, and that’s where the seed was planted: this desire to make others dream, laugh, cry, to help them escape the world for a moment, and remind them that they, too, can be heroes.

My Sources of Inspiration

History

History is an endless source of inspiration. I recently came across a formidable empress whose life will inspire one of my future romantasy novels. Some historical events are so wild you’d never believe them if they appeared in fiction. Many eras are overdone, but others lie dormant, waiting to be rediscovered.

Mythology

I started with Greek myths, but my love of mythology has expanded across cultures and continents. Creation stories in particular fascinate me. They lay the foundation for so many beliefs and mythic archetypes that echo through time.

Nature

Nature is brutal, beautiful, and endlessly resilient. It’s where I find clarity and creativity. I live near a field and often spend hours walking, recording voice notes, and speaking my characters’ dialogue aloud. The moon itself inspired my romantasy Soul-Threader.

One day, I hope to live somewhere even wilder, surrounded by the kind of nature that reminds you how small and infinite you are all at once.

People

The people I know, meet, love, or even just observe all shape my stories. Psychology sits at the heart of character building. Understanding what drives people — their fears, ambitions, secret wounds — fascinates me endlessly.

Art

All art feeds art. Paintings, poems, films, sculptures… They all remind me of the power of creation and emotion. Inspiration often begins where someone else’s imagination ends.

That’s all I have to share for now.

If any of this resonates with you, or if there’s a specific topic you’d like me to explore next, let me know in the comments below. I love hearing from fellow dreamers, readers, and storytellers.