It’s hard to believe we’re approaching the end of another year, but it’s the perfect time to sit back and decide what the next twelve months will hold for you.

If you’re a writer, it’s also the perfect time to find a solid reason to write your next (or first) novel.

Unfortunately, finding that reason isn’t always particular easy - unless you know where to look.

Here are five reasons you might find inspiration for your 2018 masterpiece lying right under your nose:

1. Because your life has taken a sudden twist

Something relatively big happened during 2017, didn’t it? Your life changed and tilted on its axis slightly.

Big events - life changing or simply transformative - are fabulous sources inspiration for novel writing. Even if you focus on just one element of the big change in your life, you should be able to find oodles of stuff to write about.

2. You’ll rediscover a passion

How can you reignite your passion in a hobby? Write about it! It’ll get back under your skin in no time.

That thing you haven’t done for years could finally resurface once the last NYE party popper has been tidied away.

3. Someone has inspired you

This ‘someone’ could be anyone; a family member, new partner or person you had a momentary encounter with on the train.

Whoever it is or was, they’ve clearly had enough of an impact on you to light your creative flame.

You don’t have to mention them by name in your work, but why not follow countless other novelists who have taken a single influential person in their life and turned the experience into a closely related story?

4. You’ll learn something new

Writing is a learning experience, and even if you embark on a narrative journey with which you’re relatively familiar, you’ll reach points when you realise research is required.

This is one of the best things about being a novelist: you learn so much. Promise yourself you’ll write a new book next year, and you’ll enrich your mind even further.

5. You love writing; you need to write

Sometimes, you don’t need any more of an excuse to write a new book other than the fact you love writing.

Perhaps you haven’t written for a while, or enjoyed writing so much this year that you can’t imagine another twelve months without penning your next masterpiece.

There’s a reason you want to write a new novel next year, and it might very well be the simplest, most understandable reason of them all!

Wrapping up

2018 will soon be upon us, and if you’re desperate to put pen to paper (digital or otherwise), now is the time to let your creative juices flow. Start planning that masterpiece for next year, today!