Influence and inspiration come in many forms, as a writer, influence and inspiration comes in part from viewing/reading other entertainment/information mediums from books to film and everything in between. I am influenced by these in the fact I see a good narrative or the style employed and want to emulate it. For example after reading The Hobbit whilst writing a fantasy piece, the book may influence me in such a way that I take on J.R. Tolkien’s informal, narrator’s voice which permeates the novel and foreshadows things to come.
Inspiration is distinct from influence in the fact it is not so much the desire to copy but to stimulate the imagination, to provoke the mind in such a way you develop original concepts, characters etc. Thus, to use the same example of The Hobbit; it may inspire me to write a fantasy piece, of heroes and villains set in a mythical land of magical creatures.
When I am influenced I am taking something or want to emulate something, when I am inspired I want to capture the essence of it, what made it powerful enough to make an impact and place it in the context of an original idea.
I am both influenced and inspired by the past and present, through experiences I have had and experiences I am having. Both affect the writer in distinctly different ways and it is the duty of the writer to remain vigilant to ensure inspiration does not become influence and influence does not become plagiarism.
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