Inspiration is Right in Front of You

I've been back in Maryland for almost three years and some days that seems like a lifetime. I miss Hawaii with all it's beauty but most of all I miss the ocean. Each beach offered a different wave pattern. Some were calm and mellow, perfect for families vacationing in the area. Others had ten foot waves, each adorned with one or more surfers. Still others had thunderous shore breaks, the waves crashing upon the beach and sucking anything it could reach out to sea. Different moods found me sitting on different shores, watching the waves whether gentle or harsh. The ocean often inspired me. >From these visits came stories of comedy, horror and mystery. The ocean contains an endless amount of material. Characters were waiting to be discovered in family interactions, cautious flirtations and the playful nature of the honeymooners. Every minute brought a new scenario and potential for another story. I not only derived characters from these visits but settings as well. I took my notepad, or sometimes my laptop, to the beach with me and described a sunset as it occurred. I noted the texture of the sand and the smell of the kelp. I listened to the sounds of the pigeons as the searched the beach for a bit of spam leftover from some Local's lunch. For hours on end I watched children play in the surf, noting their various reactions. Some children were terrified of the water, clinging to the parents and screaming in horror as the water reached out to graze their toes. Others were fearless, charging in without a second thought, daring the water to do it's worse. The reactions of the adults were much less notable. They rarely ran into the surf with complete abandon and those too scared to enter laid on their towels far above the reach of the surf. It's amazing how many ideas can be born of one single thing. Tales of the ocean range from adventure to romance. Each individual interprets the scene in a different way. Seeing the ocean from all sides of the island, I understand how diverse each viewpoint could be. Dozens of beaches attracted millions of visitors, each with their own agenda. The idea of the perfect beach varied depending on what the individual was searching for, calm or chaos. One single entity, the beach, can spark an abundance of creativity. It can inspire a story in every genre; each author picking up different nuances and producing a different tale as a result. One day of sitting on a beach can provide a lifetime of inspiration if you keep your eyes and ears open. While the beach is often my source of inspiration, any setting can be rich enough to feed a writer's muse. Take a pad of paper and a pen to a favorite location and jot down notes about what you see and hear. Write about an interesting person you see and what they were doing. You might not use these notes right away, but someday they may become the backbone of a story.