Alexa Mitchell asked Huntley Fitzpatrick:

What inspires you to write? I try writing a lot but I lose inspiration. Any tips?

Huntley Fitzpatrick Good question. Do you mean what inspires me to start, or what keeps me going? I'll answer both as well as I can ; )

I usually start with some sort of picture in my head--an image, something from a memory or something I see out in the world. Going for walks, going to parks in cities, coffee shops, places where people gather is really helpful for this. So is looking at old journals, watching movies, asking people questions about their lives. Asking yourself questions--what hurt most, what did you want most, what happened when you did or didn't get it. What if it had gone another way? What if this person had spoken up when they stayed quiet or stayed quiet instead of speaking up. Anything where I look at the world a little differently is a good place to start.

As for keeping going, a lot of it is just being dogged and stubborn. All those things they tell you. Word counts, setting the timer, etc. I don't do either, because I'm contrary and if I HAVE to do something I find all sorts of reasons not to. But you may be a much more reasonable person than that ; ). I do keep asking myself questions: what happens next? What would be the worst thing? What would be the most unexpected thing? What's the last thing that person would do or want? I try to always end the writing day with something I'm wondering about. I try to write scenes before I know where they are going and then go back and look at them. A lot of times what's happening is not at all what I intended, and then I rewrite to focus on that.

Long-winded answer to your short question...I hope it helps in some way. Good luck!

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