Inspiration Is All Around You

So, you have finished that first book. Now what? You need to come up with a new idea for that book. Maybe you have hit a roadblock in your story and are struggling for a scene to get that character to the place you need her to be. The answer for this is surprisingly simple. 

Look around you.

I think that too often, writers miss the mark when it comes for story inspiration. They look around for a fully crafted story and then find a way to tweak it. Instead, what they should simply be doing is looking for snippets. Find a character and figure out what would happen. Find a location and think who would be there. 

One of my writers loves to just think of scenarios and build a story from that. For example, what would happen if the heroine gets caught up in a local scandal and is now thrust into the arms of the guy she has always had the crush on. She doesn't work on anything huge, but starts small and then builds. 

The nice thing is that you can keep a small notebook of these little "story starts" next to your desk. You might not use those snippets for an entire story, but you might you pieces in each book you write. 

Remember, story ideas are all around you. It just requires you to look up from your computer and look around!