Inspiration

Inspiration. When and where do you get yours? Whether you write novels, poems, short stories, memoirs, children's books or any other genre, where do you get most of your ideas? Many of my stories and characters are completely fiction--created in my head, and for some reason, I most often find inspiration in the shower. Don't ask me why but I have for years. When I worked in corporate America, an idea would come to me in the shower, and I'd have to quickly get out, dry off, and scribble down ideas for my next television script, branding campaign or billboard--all on slightly damp paper. Many nights, I get ideas as I start to doze off. This habit drives my husband batty. He awakens when I get out of bed, and he says he can hear my pen scratching away. I'll get back in bed and he'll ask, "What did you write now? Why don't you just wait until tomorrow." Um. I can't. It'll be gone by tomorrow. Of course, many of us get ideas from the Internet, newspapers, and television--and from our childhood memories. That's why they say, "Write what you know." A fun way to come up with new ideas for a story is to overhear tidbits of conversations in coffee shops, restaurants, at the hair salon or car wash. This type of people watching (and listening) also works well for character sketches. How about you? When and where do you get your inspiration?