You know you’ve achieved a certain level of success as a writer when someone asks you, “Where do you get your ideas?” No one’s asked me that yet. But when they do, I have an answer ready for them:
“Looking at cool pictures.”
There are other sources of inspiration, but few are as pure as imagery that, by its very nature, begs the writer to fill in the blanks. Who is this person? What is this thing? What’s happening with that monkey, and why?
In the pages below are a selection of such images that I’ve found particularly inspiring, as well as the short stories that they have inspired. You’ll also find links to the artists who created the images, so that you can look them up for yourself and become inspired as well.
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Hearts
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Under the Bed and in the Closet
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Nine Tenths of the Law
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Gone Native
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In Parallel
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Homecoming
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Hard to Find
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Pitstop
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Pruning
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Storm
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The Knight’s Tale
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Moon Woman
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Dig
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Breakthrough
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Darius
