Goodreads asked Bill Bowling:

How do you get inspired to write?

Bill Bowling I'm a generalist by nature. I'm aware that it's not a popular thing to claim. But I tend to distrust the buzz-wordy, jargony terms such as 'niche' and 'platform'. I'm not sure at what point writing crossed over into the sharky world of marketing enterprise. I suppose it's necessary in our money driven world. This large circular overflight is to point out that inspiration doesn't necessarily come from one prescribed source. In other words, inspiration shouldn't become captive to the notion of where you fit in the writerly world. That is to say, I try to tune in to me, not some outside catalyst to drive my writing. I respond a lot to stuff in the news; I swear to you, there's stuff happening in the real world everyday that could keep a writer busy till the end of time. It's stuff that you can't even dredge up out of the imagination. Speaking of which--I rely also on one key question to find stuff to write about: What if...? I also have been lucky enough to have been stung by an 'a-ha' bug or two, and that's a good thing. other than that, I try to stay alert, focused and conscious, connected to the world, and people, and nature, eavesdrop on conversations, etc., etc., etc.

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