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Goodreads asked Chris Raiin:

How do you get inspired to write?

Chris Raiin I keep my "mental eyes" open. You know how you have random trains of thought throughout the day? I try to focus on my trains of thought, "watching" the random connections they make, and see if they lead to a conflict. Conflict is the germ of a story. Some trains of thought lead nowhere or end abruptly; some don't lead to a story until they return, randomly, a few days later; and some lead right to a plot, however incomplete it may be. Recently, I was having a conversation with my sister-in-law and the term "giclée" came up. A giclée is a detailed copy of a painting for resale. A small giclée featuring two wine barrels and blooming vines hangs in my office. The word—so odd and unique—bounced around in my head the rest of the day and I started writing a story from it two days later. You never know when or how inspiration will strike or how one thing leads to another, but I believe this is certain: "Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working" (Pablo Picasso). I "work" to keep my mental eyes open and paying attention, and I follow it up by sitting at my desk and freewriting until a coherent plot emerges from it. So…that's the long answer. Short answer: I get inspired to write by paying attention to the game of pinball going on in my head.

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Chris Raiin
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