Settings and Inspiration

I really enjoy the drive to Vegas. There is something about the desert landscape I find inspiring. I love all the little roads that trail off into the hills and I wonder where they lead. So of course my mind follows them and before I know it, I have the makings of a story. When I pass a little cafe or garage in the middle of nowhere, I wonder what circumstances led these people to this place. And being a writer I make up something, probably far more interesting than the truth, but that is part of the fun.

Vegas itself inspires me. I think it is because of the sheer amount of people it takes to run the city. I pass a cocktail waitress in a second rate casino and I wonder how she ended up working here. Or the guys running the black jack tables, why here and why this? It is city where a person could lose themselves.

I even find inspiration in the monotonous housing tracts that surround the city. Henderson is one giant housing tract with all of the houses looking the same. The houses are all new and the yards are well-manicured. I wonder what has brought these people here. Another story idea pops into my head.

Do you have a place that inspires you? Have you been anywhere that seemed the perfect setting?