Tag Archives: inspiration

Finding Inspiration Across the Pond (Guest Post)

Finding Inspiration Across the Pond

by Steph Beth Nickel

My European Adventure is scheduled for the last three weeks of September 2024. When this is posted, I will have completed two of those three weeks and will, hopefully, have a plethora of ideas to inspire my writing. (July 29, 2024)

Writers find inspiration everywhere. From a snippet of overheard conversation to an unusual name printed on a souvenir. From a randomly asked question to a humorous meme on social media. From a crumbling castle to an erupting volcano.

As writers, it’s important to make note of those things that inspire us, things we want to include in our writing—at least at some point.

Although she asked the question well over a decade ago, I will never forget an older friend of mine asking my son, who was wearing army boots at least three sizes too big for him, “Hey, boots, where are you taking that boy?” Absolutely priceless!

I think P. J. Bottoms would make the perfect name for a fictional middle grade student who solves mysteries. But since there’s a children’s book author by that name (a pseudonym, I presume), I may shelf the idea.

And my daughter’s answer to a long-forgotten question is the title of one of the picture books I’d like to publish.

While adventuring in Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland, I know I will have gained more ideas than I can possibly include in my writing.

Just how will I have captured at least some of those ideas?

Before I left—or maybe on the plane, winging my way across the Atlantic—using either my computer or pen and paper, I will have brainstormed possible writing projects I can complete in the future.

I purchased a Novel from Nothing journal that I may begin to fill in should a story begin to gel. Familiarizing myself with the contents of the journal before I leave will have given me ideas to mull over.

An empty journal and a stash of pens will likely have found their way into my luggage as well—for all those other ideas that are bound to bombard me in the best possible way.

At the time of writing this post, I hadn’t decided whether or not to take my digital camera with me or rely exclusively on my iPhone and camcorder, complete with eternal mic, to capture the landscape, the architecture, and the natural phenomena that will provide an abundance of writing inspiration.

Waterfalls and rocky cliffs in Iceland.
Image by Herm from Pixabay

Cameras. Physical or digital journals. Camcorders. Guided journals. The IOS Notes app. I will likely have used all of these to capture the countless things I won’t want to forget—things that may serve as inspiration for current and future writing projects.

While My European Adventure will be something I never forget and something that will fuel my writing for years to come, there will be inspiration all around no matter where I find myself. It’s important to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open during My Everyday Adventures as well.

Where do you find your writing inspiration and how to you ensure that you keep track of it?


Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.

If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.

You Learn Something New Every Day (Guest Post)

Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay

You Learn Something New Every Day

By Steph Beth Nickel

When you stumble across information you didn’t know previously, do you find yourself saying, “You learn something new every day”?

We cannot, however, hope to stumble across the facts and insights we need simply by chance. It’s important to develop a reliable system to expand our knowledge base.

Here are nine of my favourite ways to learn new things:

  • Read both fiction and nonfiction (audiobooks, ebooks, physical books).

Many people think there is little to nothing to be learned from fiction. Years ago, the Lord held up a mirror in the form of the female protagonist in a series I was reading, and I saw myself. And let’s just say the traits I related to were not particularly admirable. This reinforced my desire to mature and become less selfish and more like our Saviour—and that is a very good thing to learn.

  • Listen to podcasts.

There are podcasts about pretty much any topic you can imagine. It’s easy to learn something new every day by listening to those that interest you.

  • Participate in social media communities.

In most cases, we get the most out of the social media communities we belong to by actively participating and getting to know our fellow group members. We can learn from the group’s host and from one another.

  • Host FB groups.

You may start a Facebook group on a topic that interests you with the objective of sharing your insights with others. And while you’re doing so, you’re likely to learn from those who join your group as well.

  • Prepare and post short videos online.

Creating even short videos has taught me so much: how to create an event in my FB group, how to be comfortable online, how to be more succinct (trust me, I can ramble even when “talking to myself”), how to set aside perfectionism (as long as we’re providing educational and/or entertaining videos, most people don’t care if we’ve put on make up and have a picture perfect background or if we stumble over the occasional word)… The more videos I post, the more I enjoy doing so.

  • Teach children and youth.

Most of us likely realize the best way to get a firm grasp on lessons we’ve learned in the past is to prepare to teach them to others. I regularly teach the 2s and 3s at church, and even revisiting extremely familiar stories is a great way to marvel at them once again. And teaching the youth this month has been a real joy.  

  • Journal my thoughts, something I call “rambling until I stumble across truth.”

No one ever has to read our journals, making them a safe place to work through the tangle of thoughts racing around in our head. Sometimes (often) I surprise myself with my own words.

  • Spend time in person and online with insightful people.

While we do learn things in unexpected ways from unexpected sources, we must be deliberate when it comes to discovering the specific information we need. While we must be careful whose advice we follow, there are numerous ways to ascertain if what worked for others will work for us. And when we find reliable sources of helpful info, we’re going to want to keep learning from these individuals.

  • Grab a coffee with a friend.

Even when we get together with a friend or family member simply to catch up, we often gain new insights and come away encouraged. Hopefully, others feel the same after they spend time with us as well.

What’s one of your favourite ways to learn something new?


Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.

If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.

Just Write! (Guest Post)

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Just Write!

By Steph Beth Nickel

Some of the best writing advice I ever received …

Even before you know exactly what you want to write, you have to get the words on paper. Just write!

I have four manuscripts partially completed: a devotional on the gospel of John, a contemporary women’s fiction novel, a YA fantasy, and a memoir I’m coauthoring.

While niching down has its place and is well worth the effort, waiting until you’re 100 percent sure what you want to create for the long haul pretty much guarantees you won’t hit PUBLISH (or pitch an agent) on any project.

So, consider this your invitation to write … just write!

Here are some suggestions to inspire you:

  1. Pick up that book of writing prompts that has been sitting on your shelf gathering dust. Open it to any random page … and write.
  2. Scan photos online until you find one that inspires you and go for it.
  3. Make a list of all the topics you’d like to write about. Obscure? No problem. No market? It doesn’t matter at this point. Plus, you might be surprised. Don’t think you have what it takes? Tell your inner critic you’ll get back to her later—much later!
  4. Create a list of your favourite genres, authors, writing styles …
  5. Choose a topic and a genre … and write! (You don’t have to know everything about the genre. There’ll be plenty of time to polish in subsequent drafts.) Or you may want to …
  6. Create an outline for your project before you begin to write. (Discovery writers [aka pantsers] prefer a simple scaffolding at most. Plotters will want to include more details but can get caught up in “perfecting” the outline before they even start. At some point, both types of individuals must take a deep breath and begin to write.)
  7. Allow the story or nonfiction project to flow—even if it does so in spurts and starts. Bullet points. Notes to self (i.e.: insert character name here). Skipping around in the story. (I’ve written an epilogue for a novel that isn’t finished yet.) If you run into a roadblock, these and other methods are 100 percent acceptable “fillers.”
  8. Try your hand at something you’ve never written before. I wrote 40K of a YA fantasy novel back in November for NaNoWriMo. I wondered if I had what it took to write fantasy, but I figured, Why not? And I’m having lots of fun.
  9. If you’re writing to deadline for a traditional publisher with specific guidelines, you have a responsibility to fulfill your obligations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore other genres, other writing forms, that idea you’ve long buried at the back of your mind (or in the bottom of your drawer) …
  10. Writing can be both a job and a creative outlet, but don’t let the business side of things squelch the joy you feel from simply putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. JUST WRITE!

Steph Beth Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel
Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.

If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.