Spill the Tea Tuesday: Writing Inspiration

 Today, author Leah Dobrinska is here to spill the tea...

Aren’t you ever afraid you’ll run out of ideas?

I get this question a lot. 

How did you come up with this story?

That’s another FAQ.

Today, I thought I’d spill the tea on writing inspiration. The cool thing about writing—or creating in general—is that it’s a constantly evolving process. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Inspiration will strike me in a different way than it’ll strike Kara or any number of the other authors.

Here are just a couple examples:

Some authors I know are deeply inspired by photos and visuals. They’ll spend hours upon hours crafting Pinterest mood boards, finding images that spark an idea or reinforce a vision they have. Or they visit a certain place and, in their mind, a fictional world immediately springs up around it.

Some authors think first of famous people who fit the look of their main characters. They find photos that they pin up for reference when describing physical features.

Some authors are inspired by certain color schemes. I know an author who carries around sticky-tabs that are the same color scheme as her book’s cover, just because it makes her feel happy and close to her story.

Some authors require certain scents to write. A particular brand and scent of candle gets associated with a book, and it must be burning each time they set out to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys). 

For me, I’m a music person. In the early stages of brainstorming a new story idea, I start to compile a playlist. Sometimes the songs I add to it are tied to specific plot points. For example, my entire debut novel, Love at On Deck Café, was inspired by “The Long Way” by Brett Eldridge. I heard the song on the radio, and immediately a scene and two characters—complete with their backstories—popped into my head. While much of the plot changed from first draft to final draft, that scene—the late-night drive around town that Julia takes with Samson—remained at the very center (literally!) of the book. 

In other cases, when I’m picking songs for my playlist I’m considering the overall vibe and how it overlaps or calls to mind how I want the book to feel. Perhaps no one but me would understand why the song makes the playlist, but there’s just something about it that connects it to the story for me. My second book, Good To Be Home, features Daniel, a side-character from Love at On Deck Café. I knew his personality, and when I heard the song “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra, I felt a pang in my chest at how perfectly the desperate sentiment of that song captures exactly how I imagined Daniel feeling about his ex-girlfriend, Isabel. He just wants a chance to hold her! (Don’t worry…I gave him that chance!)

My third book in the Mapleton series is out today, actually! It’s a Christmas small town romance titled Together With You. I had already drafted the first version of the book when Taylor Swift dropped “Christmas Tree Farm” a few years back, but it immediately went on the playlist just for the general merriment it provides and for the fact that Together With You is set on a Christmas tree farm. Likewise, there’s an ugly Christmas sweater scene, and the song “You Look Good” by Lady A basically inspired the entire tone of it—kind of flirty, kind of feisty, and so much fun. 

I build my book playlists before I begin drafting and tweak them as I go. Then I play them. Over and over (and over!) again—not while I’m writing, but pretty much any other time of day. My family really loves me for it (ha!), but this is one way I stay connected to my story—mulling over ideas and scenes—even when I’m not actively working. Listening to the music that’s connected to what I’m creating makes me eager to get back to my projects. And it always amazes me how the right song can call to mind the exact right emotion I’m trying to convey.

So to answer the question at the top of this post, no! I’m not afraid I’ll run out of ideas. I’ve got too much fodder for stories all around me! I think most authors would agree.

Leah Dobrinska is the author of the Larkspur Library Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in the Wisconsin Northwoods (Level Best Books, 2022), and the Mapleton novels, a series of standalone small town romances. She earned her degree in English Literature from UW-Madison where she was awarded the Dean’s Prize and served as a Writing Fellow. She has since worked as a freelance writer, editor, and content marketer. Leah lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their gaggle of kids. When she's not writing, handing out snacks, or visiting local parks, Leah enjoys reading and running. Find out more about Leah, join her newsletter community, and connect with her through her website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

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