Inspiration

I've had people ask me (at work and elsewhere, but not here, since no one's commenting yet) how I write as much as I do. It's a combination of things; persistence and consistency is a big part of it; if you don't keep your butt stapled to the chair, you aren't going to write.
But that explains production, not inspiration. After all, if you're going to write heavily, you need to keep yourself inspired with new material to write about. And that's what I'm going to talk about today.
One of the most obvious forms of inspiration is reading other books. I've been reading a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs lately, as well as Lord Dunsany. I've started reading some Clark Ashton Smith, Abraham Merritt, and recently my first-ever H.P. Lovecraft story. It's a lot of fun, reading the masters of an earlier age and getting a sense of how they put together not only great stories, but exciting action or haunting weirdness. Frankly, most modern stuff just doesn't compare. There are a few, but there's too much message fiction out there now, and that's not at all inspiring.
Another form of inspiration is music. A well-crafted piece of classical music can bring out some amazing ideas. So can movie soundtracks, especially ones from the genre you're considering. Go ahead and listen to the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack (the original one, not the remake) and try not to feel the stirring of your primitive lizard-brain wanting to hit things with sharp, pointy objects.
Oh, it's just me? Yeah, I didn't think so.
But there's another source that people don't think of: Video game soundtracks. These are great, especially if you haven't played the game the soundtrack comes from. I mean, listen to the Diablo soundtrack. That is some creepy music, perfect for that scene where some impending horror is about to jump out at your hero.
And here's one that has just grabbed me this week. I've listened to this piece of music almost two dozen times in the past few days. It is just that good, an earworm that grabs on tight and won't let go of your brain. I absolutely love it. It's the theme from Civilization VI, I'm listening to it as I type this, as a matter of fact. It just screams exploration, wonder and majesty with every delicious note. I've never played the game, but that is some seriously inspired music.
Video game soundtracks are great for inspiring genre writers, because they're written specifically to put us in an adventurous mood. Like movie soundtracks, they put you into the scene, and your imagination can't help but flare up, especially if it's a game you don't know. When you don't know it, you're letting your own mind match the music to scenes, whether they be action, romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, whatever.
If you'd like to see what has resulted from my inspiration, check out my Amazon page. There are only a few books there right now, but it will be growing. Come along, and enjoy the ride.