Writing Tip: Find Inspiration in Every Day Life
I’m a people watcher. Always have been. And I notice details some people pass right over.
I didn’t realize I was essentially cataloguing potential writing material with this interest of mine, but in recent years I’ve become keenly aware that every interaction I’ve experienced or observed remains stored somewhere in my brain. In the hustle and bustle of our daily routines, inspiration often hides in plain sight, waiting to be discovered. Most of the time we don’t even have to look all that hard. If we’re observing the world around us for any length of time or with any intention, it’s all right there.
For writers, the ability to draw inspiration from the seemingly mundane aspects of everyday life is an invaluable one. On a personal note, this is one of the areas where I feel particularly confident about my own work. Time and again, readers have said that even my descriptions of the mundane feel magical and beautiful, but that’s only because that’s literally how I see them in my everyday life! I see them as interesting, so it translates to my writing. I do think this may be one of those instances where my neurodiversity is of massive benefit. I’ve always hyper-focused on details, and tried to understand the how and why of even basic actions and interactions. I studied psychology in college and have always been fascinated by human behavior—what inspires it, what factors contribute to the actual execution, and the long-lasting impact of every one of our experiences on our subconscious (which ultimately influences what we do). It’s been an enduring special interest, so I can concede that this might come easier to me since my brain is wired to notice patterns and seek understanding, where a neurotypical person may not even notice those more subtle or inconspicuous occurrences.
But I want to share why I think it’s so important to find inspiration in the mundane, and share practical tips for how to unlock the creative potential that surrounds us, in case you’re not the kind of person who notices every little thing (or perhaps even if you are).
Why Everyday Life Inspires
So Many Experiences!
Everyday life is a collection of myriad experiences, from the routine to the unexpected. Whether it's the quiet moments of reflection during a morning commute or the lively interactions in a bustling coffee shop, these experiences provide a wealth of material for creative content. I especially love going places where I’m able to observe all different kinds of people, because then I’m able to observe a far wider range of human experience. But even in the typical routine of taking my daughter to school, I’m always looking at the world around me for inspiration. Maybe it’s the cross guard who shaved his beard and now the kids are scared of him. Or the elderly man working the register at a fast food drive-thru, telling me about his life back in Jersey as a teen, thanking me for talking loudly because he’s still getting used to his hearing aid and the kitchen noise makes it difficult for him to hear customers. Or the young woman walking her dog on a different route now because she broke up with the guy who lives two streets over. Stories are everywhere.
Relatable Themes & Experiences
Writing that resonates often taps into universal themes. Everyday life offers a treasure trove of relatable moments, emotions, and challenges that readers can connect with. By grounding our writing in the familiar, we create a bridge between our words and the reader's own experiences. In the 3 short examples I gave from my own daily drives, we can identify several universal themes and experiences: how our appearance impacts the way people perceive us, aging and a capitalist system that makes it so an 80-year-old man has to work a drive-thru window, moving across the country and everything that brings, clinging to a rose-colored past in our later years, disability and accessibility in the workplace, romance and heartbreak, etc.
Authenticity and Depth
Realism breathes authenticity into writing. Drawing inspiration from everyday life allows us to infuse our work with genuine emotions and details that elevate the narrative. Readers appreciate the sincerity that comes from weaving real-life elements into fiction or non-fiction pieces. I cannot tell you how much it meant to me when a reader described one of my shortlisted short stories as having “an unmistakable authenticity to life ratio.” This is because I want nothing more than for my stories to show our real lives as being full of magical potential, and because I want my stories to be relatable. If I can remind a reader of an experience or time in their own lives simply by employing more specificity, I’m all for it.
Tips for Finding Inspiration
Observe the World
Pay attention to the world around you. Observe the details—the sights, sounds, and smells. Take note of interesting conversations, peculiar objects, or fleeting moments. Make it a habit and keep your notes app (or an actual notebook if you’re old school) with you at all times. Become a people-watcher. It’s fun, I promise!
Get Curious
Approach everyday life with a curious mindset. Ask questions about the people you encounter, the places you visit, or the events unfolding around you. Curiosity sparks exploration, leading us to discover untold stories and hidden gems that can fuel our writing. Asking questions of that man in the drive-thru window was a beautiful moment of human connection, and it’s also probably going to inspire a character in one of my stories.
Save For Later
This is worth it's own point. As I mentioned above, keep a journal or use your phone to capture moments that strike a chord. Whether it's a snippet of overheard dialogue, a vivid description of a setting, or a fleeting emotion, document these moments to preserve them for future creative exploration. I have thousands of words written in my notes app and often pull from it when I need just the right thing to add to my manuscript! Then, when you’re brainstorming or stuck in your story, pull out your library of real-world experiences and see what you can write into your story.
Find the Magic in the Mundane
Train your mind to find beauty in the ordinary. A mundane scene can become the perfect backdrop for an engaging story. Look beyond the surface, and you'll uncover the extraordinary in the everyday. There’s magic everywhere. Though it’s not a concrete action you can take, it’s worth the effort to make this mindset shift. If you need some ideas for how to practically apply this tip and begin moving your mind in this direction, consider setting aside time each week to build this skill.
Watch people (like mentioned above) but take it one step further and create a story about what you’re seeing. What can you imagine about their lives? If several people are interacting, what are they talking about? What triumphs or struggles might they be discussing?
Attune your mind to nature. Human beings aren’t the only source of inspiration in our everyday lives. Right now, I have doves nesting on top of the windchimes in my back yard. I’ve loved watching the entire process of their nest-building, laying, and hatching. It’s life and creation right outside my living room window, and what’s more magical than that?
Slow down. Sit beneath a tree and feel the peaceful energy of it. Touch the grass, listen to the wind in the leaves, smell the earth beneath you. Listen to music without any other distractions and notice what it makes you feel in your body. Taste a decadent desert, one tiny bite at a time; let it rest on your tongue and dissolve in your mouth, seeing if you can identify the ingredients used to make it. Be present and engage your senses, and you’ll find your mind opening up to all the magic around you.
Focus on the details. Once your mind is trained to notice the grander magic of this world (people, nature, emotional experiences), pay attention to things most of the world overlooks. I once studied a coffee mug as a personal exercise. It is hand thrown and glazed, carved with 2 different kinds of leaves, so I imagined what it would be like to create such a piece myself. I wondered about the color choices and tried to feel the wet clay on my fingertips. I wondered about the artist and what got them into this work in the first place. I marveled at the craftsmanship and got curious about the first people to discover ceramic firing and glazing techniques. Like, how did they discover that the process of cooking clay at a high enough heat for prolonged periods of time (though, not too long or it’ll be ruined) created a ceramic material capable of not only aesthetic décor but functional items which could withstand heat and water? It must have seemed like magic when such technology was first created. Someone translated an idea from their mind into a tangible process we still use today. I can hold this mug in my hands and examine the carved design and speckled glaze because something magical happened a long time ago. Creativity is magic, by the way, and I challenge anyone who says otherwise.
Writing Activity
Take a walk in a familiar place—it could be your neighborhood, a park, or a local café. The key is familiar. It’s easy to find magic in new and exciting things; we want to find magic in the mundane. As you walk, pay close attention to the details around you. Notice the colors, textures, and sounds. Choose one element that catches, and use it as a starting point for a short piece of writing. This could be a description, a character sketch, or a brief scene. Let your observations fuel your creativity. I highly recommend doing this anytime you feel yourself falling into a creative slump. Even if it’s just for that one exercise, your mind will remember what it’s like to take inspiration and run with it. Like any skill, exercising and practicing it is what gets us back into it!
Everyday life is brimming with inspiration for us as writers. By embracing the ordinary, we can transform routine moments into elements of extraordinary stories. When we cultivate a mindset of observation, curiosity, and appreciation for the mundane, we'll discover how much magic truly is around us.
Happy writing!
