Goodreads asked G.J. Minett:

How do you get inspired to write?

G.J. Minett A tough one. For years writing was just something I did from time to time when a possible short story occurred to me or when I felt tempted to launch into a novel. It wasn't so much a question of me 'getting inspired' - it was just something I enjoyed doing and I was merely responding to an idea that had appeared out of nowhere.
Now my writing needs to be more formalised because I have entered a different world of contracts and deadlines that are imposed on me from outside, which means I need to approach my writing in a professional way. It doesn't mean the enjoyment is any less real but if I left off writing anything for a couple of years because the mood hadn't swept over me, I'd probably be receiving a lot of difficult emails from my agent and publishers, so I have to accept that I will need to find ways to ensure that I meet all their requirements.
At present it's not inspiration I lack but time, with the competing demands of publicity, editing, social media, school job, family, personal fitness etc. It's a question of adjusting to this new way of life and making a few changes to get the balance right. Once I do that, I'll be able to get back to what opened up this new world to me in the first place, which is writing.
It's still too early to say whether I'll reach a point at some stage where I'm struggling for inspiration. People always talk of writer's block as if it's a very real and difficult obstacle to overcome but for now I'm a long way away from anything like that. I'm just looking forward to having the chance to be creative again.

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