Obsession to Inspiration

Writers need obsessions that lead to inspiration.  Preoccupations feed creativity with energy.  If Melville hadn't felt the draw of whales, we wouldn't have Moby Dick. The Mississippi River attitude gave Twain notions for Huckleberry Finn.


A scent of money and its drive inspired Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby. Wallace Stegner's focus on western expansion provided his many publications and sparked his Angle of Repose.


Make a list of your favorite authors and determine what might have driven them to write.


Creative Write: Write your statement of an obsession and see where it leads.