
Well, it’s another Wednesday, the hump that represents mid-week. By this point in the week I like to be knee deep in my weekly goals and challenges to myself. I have been reading and writing like a fool, so good going so far. I’m hitting a bit of a hurdle in my current story but I am making an effort to overcome it. I’m also doing a lot of reading for research on the topic of Schizophrenia. The stories are just… larger than life, you know?
I’ve also been keeping up on the blogs. The theme among the blogosphere lately seems to be inspiration. How do you get it? What sort of thing brings you the most inspiration? What person/place/thing/idea sends you flying to your writing corner and makes you bang on your WIP or scribble in your notebook? I like talking about things that inspire me, so I’ll list some of mine here.
GOOD WRITING
The number one, numero uno, primero point of inspiration for me is excellent writing. I love getting lost in another writer’s words, whether it be a published book or an online story or a great blog post. Writers who share their craft with others help me feel like I, TOO, CAN BE A WRITER!
LIFE
Life imitates art and art imitates life and it’s all such a never ending cycle. When people I know talk about situations they’ve dealt with, some of those stories stick with me. I tuck them away in my mental list of plot points and twists that I might want to use later. A witty conversation overheard in the elevator, or the way someone says something might get written down or emailed to myself as soon as I get to my desk. I take pieces of people and places and things and jobs and attitudes and store it all away in my head where an ever-growing monster builds and eventually must claw its way out, onto paper. Or computer screen.
ART
Of course art, because you know… LIFE! I rarely get inspiration from paintings, but photos can spawn a nice 3,000 word story about a rain storm. Or 1500 words about peppermints or a chapter in which my characters discuss Degas and whether or not he was perverted.
Music is probably my biggest inspiration, ever. Lyrics are like art, drawing such emotional scenes. So many songs are like soap operas set to rythm. I’ve written so many stories based off of song lyrics. I love an amazing lyricist, how they twist words and meaning and in 3.5 minutes, tell what can be a heartbreaking story. I love siphoning that emotion, that mood, the meaning behind the words and turning it into something that takes the reader on a journey. I’m writing a story right now based off of Alanis Morrisette’s Hands Clean. Her lyrics are amazng.


. I read and I write and and I try to keep up with twitter and blogs and facebook. I try to stay abreast important events, just in case I am asked to be on Jeopardy. I try to get out of the house every now and again, leave the county, see friends, go to brunch. I travel when I can, and recently I’ve been decorating my apartment. That’s a lot of stuff, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Staying on top of everything and keeping a finger in each pot seems to keep me going.
I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m a very simple person.