Moments of Inspiration

Some things that came together and prompted me to write my first novella were:

* Something that happened to a family member years ago. She was engaged to someone who later died in a car accident. Just before it happened, he'd sent some roses to her. Her roommate at the time received them in her absence, and placed them on her bed. When she got home, she found them and had them in her hands the moment the phone rang with news of what happened to her fiance. Remembering this got me thinking more about the connections between people, and the idea that people are (or can be) connected without even knowing they are.
* Obviously, that's a tragic story, and tragedy would seem inevitable in at least some form with regard to any kind of large-scale missed opportunity; so one of my charaters was born who would embody the endurance of multiple tragedies. How much can she take? Can she rise above it all in order to accept life's challenges, to not become a product of her environment, and to be selfless to those close to her? I wanted to see for myself.
* I kept seeing & reading news stories of a horrible crime, perhaps the worst I can think of. It was something that seemed to be happening more and more all the time, and began to really frustrate me. This brought about another character.
* There are some significant moments in our young lives that shape who we become. When I first outlined the story, I knew I wanted it to begin with that.
* The remnants of a particular ancient civilization came into play because I'd been reading books about almost nothing but that. Some of the questions it left behind made me want to ask more questions, and so I sought to do that through one of two main characters...
* This particular character came about after watching the movie "Doctor Zhivago." I loved the idea of a main character who had less words and action than anyone else, but who's eyes you see almost everything through.
* Someone I used to work with told me an unusual and slightly disturbing detail about a drug experience he had. It was too appropriate, and I just had to use it.
* I was in an interracial relationship as this particular story was emerging, so varying aspects and perspectives of racism issues played an important part in creating the second main character.
* It seemed that everywhere I went throughout the writing of that one, I saw an ice cream van drive by, or at least heard that music you always hear from it as it passes. It provided a missing link I needed to revive a character's childhood memories.

These are some of my own inspirations for just one story. Please do share your own moments...I find them to be as interesting as the works they inspire.