Goodreads asked J.B. Manas:

How do you get inspired to write?

J.B. Manas I think this is one of the biggest challenges, for me at least. For me to give my all to a book, I need an idea that really hooks me. I find it either comes to me or doesn't and there's little I can do to force it. Often it's when I least expect it that an idea comes to me. I do find If I'm reading, or watching movies, or driving around thinking of "what if" scenarios, sometimes an idea will just pop into my head. Those are usually the best ones.

Also, thinking of a premise is only the first step. To turn it into a story, you need a compelling lead character with a goal, a strong opposition, high stakes if he/she doesn't succeed, and ideally a touch of irony. I've had what seemed like great premises, but they fell short once I tried to build a truly compelling story based on it. But either way, for me to be inspired, it always has to start with a great premise that hooks me. Sometimes, I'll jot down a dozen premises until something jumps out.

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