The Truth About How Writers Get Their Ideas

Creativity isn’t magic. It’s a product of evolution.

“Where do you get your ideas from?”

This question has become a sort of joke among writers. It’s almost a koan phrase, something nonsensical to ponder on in order to achieve enlightenment. It’s never meant to be truly answered.

The idea is supposed to come from an ineffable place, beyond time and reason. A spring that runs up from a deep underground source. Like a Jack-In-The-Box that suddenly springs up in your mind. Pick your metaphor. The muse is supposed to be a flighty young goddess who only comes when you have properly serenaded her with long walks in the park and

Because I have grandiose ideas of what I can achieve at 5 in the morning after spending last night drinking Jack Daniel’s and wine, I will attempt to answer this question.

In the beginning, there was the word, and the word was with God. But in the Greek, the word is actually translated from ‘Logos.’ Logos is often used in English to mean logic or word, but that’s not quite right. The real meaning is more complex and often frustrates translators, but it can mean something like ‘divine creativity.’ It’s also another word for Jesus Christ.

This can also be seen in Psalms 33:6: