My story was written by using a picture as a prompt. I keep a folder called ‘Writer’s Inspiration’ on my Pinterest account. Any picture that looks like it could come in handy as part of a story some day is saved there. Using picture prompts is a great way to inspire a story.

Here are ten other ways to find your muse:

1. News headlines. LM Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables when she saw a headline in a local newspaper that told the story of a couple being sent a girl orphan instead of a boy to help on their farm. News headlines can offer all kinds of interesting possibilities for stories, so it’s worth checking them out.
2. A song title or listening to music. Some song titles tell great stories. Why not take a song title and use it to inspire a story? Listening to music can put you in the mood for creativity.
3. Take a walk. Exercise can help to inspire you too. If you have come to a sticky point in your story, then go for a walk to wrestle with it and sort it out.
4. What about using unusual place names as either somewhere to set your story, or as the name of one of your characters. Develop the story around it.
5. Fan fiction is very popular these days. Take your favourite TV show or book and develop the story of a minor character or just write them another adventure.
6. Agatha Christie suggested washing the dishes helped her to sort out her plot points.
7. People-watch. When you sit in a cafe, ride on a bus or train, even walk through town – watch the people around you. When you find an interesting character, think about their story and their character and use it to tell an interesting story.
8. Overheard conversations can often bring an interesting idea for a story – just don’t get caught doing it!
9. Dreams can sometimes provide imaginative if slightly surreal ideas for a story.
10. Stories involving your family’s past or memories can be really interesting – just change the names and some of the details if it’s a fictional story.

As you can see, inspiration can be found anywhere if you are looking for it. How do you get your inspiration for either a story or a blog post? Let me know in the comments below.