Inspiration

Taking a break from writing a lesson plan, I stumbled across this photo gallery on weather.com It's a bunch of pictures of abandoned amusement/theme parks. Some have been abandoned longer than others, and all closed for different reasons.

As I looked through the pictures, I was struck with all sorts of inspiration. The book I'm working on now is set at an undetermined point in the future. The world has changed, and nature has taken over. These pictures inspired me to think more concretely about how things might look. I love things like this. Perhaps my characters will even encounter an old theme park. The story takes place in Minnesota, in the (what used to be) Minneapolis area. So maybe Valley Fair? What if people actually lived there now? I don't know, but it could be interesting. By looking through pictures like these and comparing them with what Valley Fair looks like, I can create in my mind a decent idea of what a derelict version of the park might look like. Theme park ruins have been used in some of my favorite books, such as Uglies and Divergent. Of course, I don't want to copy those authors, but the concept is so great. Just another way something completely random can add another facet to a storyline. 

I highly encourage you to check out the link. Beautiful pictures. In case you decide to skip it, I'll leave you with a few of my favorites before heading back to lesson planning.

Keep an eye out for what inspires you, and keep writing!

UPDATE: Before I went back to work, I checked Facebook, because, of course, and someone had posted this link.
Some more eye candy of beautiful abandoned places. I could look at this stuff all day. But I won't. Today.