Not like spiritual inspiration, but cool books to get your mind going if you need a new story. The first, most obvious, is The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood. In it are some great quotes, teasers, thought-provokers, and pictures that are sure to get the creative juices flowing. For example, one page has "Imagine a coat. Imagine the pocket of the coat. Imagine what's in the pocket." And it's not just for starting a story - if your story needs a kick start, they have other suggestions there too. Like one page just says "Your character is being followed." That got me thinking about ratcheting up the tension in one scene. I actually have to put it away after I get something because if I scan through it, I'll have a hundred novels running through my head.
Another fun book to get you thinking, especially if you're trying to write a comedy or need some really whacked out characters, is The Dumbest Crook Book by Leland Gregory, or something like it. These types of books are just filled with characters who do stupid stuff, and while you can't use their actual names, you can start to think about them as people. Why would they do stuff like that? What was their upbringing? What would drive them to take such a chance? Here's an example:
"Robert Palmer was arrested and charged with burglary in Savannah, Georgia after removing a windowpane and entering the residence of Joseph Palmer. When the police detained him, he claimed he hadn't planned to rob the place; he was only curious as to whether he and Joseph Palmer were related. They're not."
A great example of a character so driven for family he'd do something like that. There's DEFINITELY a story in there.
So go check 'em out. They're a lot of fun if you're between books, or wanting to do something completely different. I'll have some other book reviews for ya soon. Have a great weekend!
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