Finding Inspiration: Dip Into a Genre You Rarely Read
“Sunflower Fantasia” (Boris Datnow)
"Where do your ideas come from?” That is a question I am asked most frequently as a writer. One suggestion for sparking inspiration is to dip into a new genre—one you rarely choose to read. On my blog, “The Emerging Genre of Climate Change,” I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations to choose from.
Poetry can also be a profound way to crystalize your themes. I recommend Alina Stefanescu’s blog for poetry.
Another suggestion is to attend conferences which matches your interests and needs. I recently attended the Alabama Environmental Education Association Conference 2022 in Gulf Shores. I was honored to be part of a panel discussion on climate change, which you can view here.
I’ve been begun browsing fantasy which I rarely read—the most recent, Neverwhere, by the the award-winning author, Neil Gaiman. Concurrently, I am reading Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson, a nonfiction work on the Biology of Climate Change, which is in a genre I enjoy for background research to the Eco Mysteries and Climate Fiction books I write. In this way, I cross-fertilize my brain with science and literature, which for me, is the best one to weave stories with environmental themes.
As you read, make a note of a phrase, a word, or an idea that lights a spark for you.
Claire Datnow was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, which ignited her love for the natural world and for diverse indigenous cultures around the globe. Claire taught creative writing to gifted and talented students in the Birmingham, Alabama Public Schools System. Her published works include a middle grade Eco mystery series, The Adventures of The Sizzling Six. She received numerous scholarships and awards, including, The Blanche Dean Award for Outstanding Nature Educator, the Alabama Writers Cooperative Middle Grade Award, and Monarch Mysteries (Book 6 eco mystery series) long listed for the Green Books Award. During her tenure as a teacher, Claire and her students developed a nature trail, recently named in her honor as the Alabama Audubon-Datnow Forest Preserve.