So I finally did it. On Monday, I clicked the submit button and released my first manuscript out into the world. Someone, someday, is going to read my short story and decide whether it is worthy of their wonderful magazine.

Rejection is inherent in the grant writing world. Every time I submitted a grant proposal I knew there was a greater chance of rejection than success. I grew a spine very quickly. But this? This felt different. Because my success was no longer based on the merits of the nonprofit program I was writing about. It was based entirely on my writing abilities. On my characters. On my pacing, plot lines, and dialogue.

But my brain had thought of a fantastic idea and it wouldn’t rest until the story was born. So in under three days I conceptualized, wrote, and submitted my first short story. And it didn’t feel rushed, because when I know, I just know. It was the story I wanted to tell.

Which brings me to my point. When I tell people I am a writer, they almost always ask “how do you think of what to write about?” So here are five ways to inspire your storytelling:

1. Where are the women? Growing up in the 90’s, there was a severe lack of female characters to look up to. So I often find myself asking the questions “where are women?”, “what are they doing?”, and “what are they thinking and feeling?” This is often my biggest inspiration for finding writing ideas. Tell women’s stories, real or imaginary.
2. Read. A lot. If you want to write, then you also need to read. A lot. Whenever I feel the slightest hint of creative blockage, I pick up a book. When I get lost in a truly good book, my brain flows with ideas. A single line of dialogue or a single description of a setting can shake me out of a writing rut.
3. Take a nap. Afternoon naps are a regular part of my writing days. I close my eyes and let my brain wander wherever it wants. That crazy thought that you fell asleep to? Write that down. The strange, telling dream you had? Write that down too. Maybe it adds a paragraph of prose to your word count, or maybe it’s your next novel idea, who knows?
4. Write down anything that makes you go “huh”. If something makes your brain light up, makes you react, that can be a premise for a story. For me, it’s often the mundane. A spot on the tile that refuses to stay clean. A stranger sitting on a park bench. An abandoned car on the side of the road. Be speculative, ask “what if?”
5. Don’t neglect your relationships. When you write, you spend so much time in your own head, sometimes it’s easy to ignore the humans around you. But, unless you are writing about the animal and plant worlds, chances are people populate your stories. So go be with people. Listen to people. Watch people (respectfully). Talk to people. Learn their stories and be inspired by them.

That’s that. Did you try any of these methods? Do you already use any of these methods? Let me know in the comments!