Goodreads asked Kathryn Nelson:

How do you get inspired to write?

Kathryn Nelson Ideas are everywhere. How closely are you paying attention? Are you listening to the couple in the seat in front of you on the bus? Did you notice that woman wearing a pink jumper carrying a skateboard? Did you see the pattern of systematic control that the dictator used to maintain his ruthless grip of power? Did you see the way she smiled when I complimented her dress?
Like every seed, the idea needs space and encouragement to grow. It needs those rainy afternoons staring out the window. It needs those long blustery walks across the hills. It can use those brief moments waiting in a queue, commuting to work, making a cup of tea, having a shower. It requires imagination, courage, tenacity.
Like a scattering of seeds, not every one blossoms into a fertile flower. Some are discarded, overgrown, morphed. Some are stored, saved for later, for another day.
Like every beginning, ideas need patience and support.

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