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The Weirdest Places I’ve Found Writing Inspiration

By georgelthomas on 18 Nov 2025 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today, I’m talking a little more about inspiration.

The Weirdest Places I’ve Found Writing Inspiration

All writers must have been asked where they get their ideas from a million times. It’s a question that can be both flattering and, honestly, a little daunting to answer. Sometimes, inspiration strikes in clear moments, such as when you’re reading a book or watching a film. But, more often than not, it slinks in when you least expect it, from the most peculiar corners of life.

I’ve had my fair share of those moments, and they’ve ranged from the mundane to the oddly profound. Here’s a glimpse into some of the places I’ve stumbled upon writing inspiration and how those moments turned into creativity gold.

Staring Into A Bonfire
I remember watching an old sofa burn on a large bonfire on Guy Fawkes night and being mesmerised by the flames. They appeared to dance and frolick, leaping like a living entity—a sprite devouring the wood and foam. This bid me to write two poems entitled Within the Firelight and Bonfire Night.

Shower Epiphanies
There’s something oddly magical about the shower. Maybe it’s the sound of water drowning out the world, or perhaps it’s just the one place where you’re not able to doom scroll. Either way, some of my best ideas have come while I’m letting the water pour over me.

Once, I was mid-scrub when an idea for a story hit me, almost fully formed. I dived out of the shower, flinging water all over the bathroom and scrambled for my phone so that I could write it down before it popped back out of my mind as fast as it popped in. I ended up standing in the middle of the bathroom amidst the steam, writing the gist of the entire plot. That idea became a short horror story called Reusable Resource.

Watching Shadows Twist on the Ceiling During a Storm
One stormy night, lying in bed in the dark of my bedroom, I started to notice the way shadows from the trees and power lines outside were twisting and warping across the ceiling. Creepily, the shadows seemed to dance across the room with each flash of lightning, while the coat on my bedroom door appeared to take on the shape of a figure, looking at us intently.

I began to think about how the most innocuous things can become eerie under the right conditions, and what might happen if one of those things were to become real. This developed into a poem called The Nightmare Man and a short horror story called Smudges.

Sitting in a Waiting Room
A couple of years ago, I was waiting to go into my counselling session in a waiting room covered in tinsel and fairy lights. It was a cold mid-December morning, and as I waited, I was suddenly struck with the impression of a character. I immediately knew she was a psychiatrist whose father had died on Christmas Eve when she was ten. The longer I waited for my session, the more she unfolded in my mind. By the time my name was called, she had become a fully fleshed-out person and ended up becoming the protagonist in a short story called Snow Angels.

Inspiration is Everywhere (Even if it’s Weird)
The truth is, you don’t always find inspiration by looking for it. Sometimes, it jumps into your head when you’re scrubbing a pan or waiting for your train.

The key is to remain open, curious, and willing to accept inspiration from all areas of your daily life. Learning to write is, ultimately, about watching and reshaping the world around you into something uniquely yours.

What about you? Have you received inspiration from an unexpected place?

Thank you, as always, for stopping by to read today’s post!

Until next time,

George