Everyday inspiration by Claire Musters

We all have those moments don’t we – when inspiration seems so elusive. When we want to write but aren’t sure what to write about. I’ll be honest, when I realised my turn on this blog was nearing I didn’t have any ideas bursting forth. 

But then it came to me.

Write about what you know.

Speaking as a non-fiction writer, it is the lessons learned in the everyday that I write most often about. While I know the call to honesty is my particular motivation for writing, I also believe that it is an important thread in all our work.

As a non-fiction and fiction reader, it is the integrity and openness of either real-life people or fictional characters that grabs my attention.

Thinking back over some of the recent(ish) books that have impacted me most, they have been stories of struggles, narratives in which the writers are honest about painful journeys – how the process has brought them closer to God and what they have learned about themselves along the way. 

The books that immediately spring to mind include: Resurrection Year by Sheridan Voysey, Catching Contentment by Liz Carter, Shine by Allison Allen… Tanya Marlow’s Those who Wait knits together beautiful recreations of biblical narratives with the wisdom learned through years of struggle, and Hope When it Hurts by Kristen Wetherall and Sarah Walton provides 30 biblical reflections for those who are suffering.

The fictional series Sensible Shoes by Sharon Brown drew me in quickly and completely. It was the way the characters were portrayed – their flaws as well as strengths – and the chance to learn spiritual disciplines along the way that was life-changing for me. 

I also want to mention Fiona Veitch Smith and Claire Dunn’s fictional series (Poppy Denby Investigates and The Secret of the Journal); their beautifully crafted characters were what kept me turning pages as fast as I could.

I believe it is by reaching readers’ hearts that we engage them and hopefully capture their readership for future books too. Commenting as a non-fiction writer, I find it is often through our retelling of everyday events, even when it takes great courage to do so, that we are able to bring the gift of finding they are not alone to our readers. 

Sometimes our inspiration takes years to form. For myself, it was pretty much the most difficult period of my life, certainly the most humbling – and yes, probably toe-curlingly embarrassing too – that became the starting point of my book Taking Off the Mask. I never dreamt I would write about that time and yet, 15 years on, it was unmistakably what I was being nudged to do.

While I’m not advocating writing about every single thing going on in your life (that’s a little like posting pictures of every meal we eat onto social media), it is definitely worth pondering what it is that God may be nudging you to explore further in your writing. 

Journalling is a great discipline and helpful writing resource – Sheridan has written a brilliant piece on this. If you keep a journal, it is definitely worth flicking back over it every so often, to see the common threads and in case something timely jumps out. 

So, whether you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry and/or articles, can I encourage you not to discard the everyday but to embrace it as fuel for inspiration.

Claire is a freelance writer, speaker and editor, mum to two gorgeous children, pastor’s wife, worship leader and school governor. Her books include Taking off the mask: daring to be the person God created you to be, Cover to Cover: Ezekiel A prophet for all times, Cover to Cover: 1–3 John Walking in the truth, Cover to Cover: David: A man after God's own heart, Insight Into Managing Conflict, Insight Into Self-acceptance and Insight Into Burnout. She is currently finalising the latest Insight Guide: Insight into Managing Shame. She also writes Bible study notes and magazine articles. To find out more about her, please visit www.clairemusters.com  and @CMusters on Twitter.