Goodreads asked Sonia Orin Lyris:

How do you get inspired to write?

Sonia Orin Lyris For me, a seed for a story can come from anywhere. I might be walking down the street and pass a man gesturing wildly, talking to the air, saying "It wasn't me, Edward, it wasn't me!" and wonder what that's all about, and write a scene and see where it goes.

I might hear a news story about the breakdown of diplomatic ties between two countries, and wonder what would happen if in addition to all the resources they're wrestling over, we could add in powerful magics.

I might take a cliché opening, such as "it was a dark and stormy night and there was a pounding at the door" and begin to wonder. Who's at the door? What's so urgent? And who's inside, about to have their lives changed? This was the seed of the first scene of "The Seer," my epic fantasy. I wanted to know the answers.

In short, inspiration can come from anywhere. It can be about a character, a situation, or a world. It can be about a particular struggle, or challenge, or injustice -- or triumph. Anything that comes alive in my imagination, really. Any story that intrigues me.

Then I sit down, and take my metaphorical pen, dip it in metaphorical ink, and start to scribble.

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