INSPIRATION

I know a lot of authors wait for inspiration to come to them. They could wait around for days, weeks, and even months and years for inspiration. I know, because I used to be one of them. When I wasn't feeling it, I didn't write. Simple as that. Now, things have changed. I may not be feeling it, but I can still write (and without forcing myself). The key, is finding inspiration in the world around you, not waiting for it to see you out, but for you to seek it.

Inspiration is everywhere. It's in a Leaning Tower Pisa water bottle. It's in seeing another aspiring writer. It's finding out more about the characters you love! The characters you created. There are things all around you that can be a source for information, you're only limited by how creative you can be with what you're given.

Check out these videos and see how creative you can get. How can you put these simple things to work in your mind to give you that added inspiration?



Aren't you ready to write a scene that has your MC running from something now? Not that I would recommend anyone doing this, but it is really impressive and it could provide inspiration for that scene that has just been bugging you. Maybe by watching someone else do some moves, you can get your battle/fight scene really rocking.

Need some inspiration to help you write a bit for the "little guy?" Check out this:



Finally, just need some raw emotion? Something to reach out to your audience and throw them into your character soooo deep that they no longer distinguish between their world and your book's? This one is definitely for you.



Sure, you could get almost all the inspiration you need from youtube, but that can be a serious drain on your writing time, so while you're walking through life, watch others on their own walk. All around you you will find others in the throws of their latest heartache, so in love it seems like the birds chirp just from them, with a fierce anger that goes far deeper than an outburst in the grocery store, a son who wishes to be his father, and a daughter who wishes anything other than to be like her mother.

Inspiration is everywhere. The trick is opening your eyes to it. It's time to play tag with Inspiration and you're it!

inspiration....

What inspires me…I don’t really know my compulsion to write is just that--a compulsion. I don’t know how not to. This post is a little late tonight, I was supposed to do it earlier but it kind of slipped my mind—I’ve been having some trouble at work.

So what inspires me? Well it can range from a number of things, something someone says, a gesture of some sort, it can be anything.

I have to stress that point, the thing of it is that I am not able to completely pin down what triggers my--I dunno what you call it “idea button” or something—creativity I think will fit the bill for now. In fact just the other day, (I don’t remember what I was doing) someone said something that I immediately scribbled down onto my hand, then into my notebook, and then texted myself. About seven simple words that have since spurred my latest story idea, no I will not share them with you for fear you may have the same brilliant idea and beat me to the punch. Kidding, I’m not going to share because it’s personal and I haven’t decided in what direction I want to take my story. Maybe then I’ll share.

The general things that inspire me have since been mentioned on the posts by my buddies here. I have an amazing family, who’ve not only supported me in all my choices but who also are just inspiring human beings. I’ve been lucky enough to have two aunts whom have both had serious forms of advanced stage four cancer and defied the odds, only one is still with us now but the way they’ve dealt with it was just mind boggling, I admire them for it every single day.

Of course then there is the media. (No not moronic newscasters, I avoid them—they are a pet peeve of mine). Music, sometimes you’ll be in a writing funk and a song you’ve never heard before pops onto the radio and BAM! An idea is there. Or you’re watching TV and an interaction between two characters has your heart racing and all of the sudden you can’t breath and BAM! You’ve figured out this scene that has been bothering you. And my favorite, by far, you are reading a book and you are so taken with the eloquence of the writing you feel the need to go back and rewrite entire scenes in your novel (not to mimic the other authors eloquence or style, no). To try to condense as best you can and prefect your voice, the flow of your story, to give someone reading your story the sense of elation.

That is the kind of inspiration I long for, the kind that drops out into your lap and just takes your breath away. It happens--it does, not always often (though sometimes it’s just like BAM! BAM! BAM! And you can’t stop the inspiration flow.) But it happens and those are the moments that matter the ones you have to hold close to your heart and nurture.

But inspiration isn’t just that “ah-ha” moment when the seed of an idea is planted, it has to do with the support and nourishment for that idea too. And that support can be found in all sorts of places. From your family, your friends, and I am lucky enough to have the strongest support system in the world. To find your true inspiration and help it grow, you have to surround yourself with people who care, who are honest and will tell it to you as it is—like a bangin’ critique group, a best friend, a mouthy baby sister or two. Those are the people who matter and they are there for the inspiration, whither they are doing the inspiring or nurturing, they are the ones to hold close and cherish.

What Inspires Me?

The things that inspire me fall into three categories: people, situations, and other stories.

People:
Have you ever met a person who is so memorable so perfect in some way, any way, that you just have to write about them? Every half way descent story that I’ve written has started with at least one of these people. However, I have a thing about copying whole people into my books, so no matter how perfect they are I usually just use that one little thing. The one thing that makes them unforgettable: a look, the sound of their voice, an experience, a phrase… it can be anything. Just something that makes me think that if I can capture it just right and multiply it by infinity I can create something as real and unforgettable as the person who inspired it.

Situations:
As far as situations go it’s the normal things that inspire me. Missing the bus, learning to drive, or making someone laugh so hard they cry. There’s just something about those moments that makes me stop and wonder “what if…” What if she wasn’t human? What if He wasn’t human? What if it was a different time? What if it was a different place? Could a situation still be completely normal and mundane even if nothing else is?

Other Stories:
Saying this will probably make me sound life a hack, who knows maybe I am, but stories created by other people inspire me. Let me make one thing clear, I don’t mean books, movies, or TV shows written by other people. Yes, I find them interesting and I love reading/ watching them, but they’re the product of someone else’s ideas. Since I’m nothing if not an individual walking in someone else’s footsteps just doesn’t work for me. I prefer to put on my giant snow boots and clomp along next to them for a step or two before heading off in my own direction. No, one of my favorite things to do is to pick up a myth, short story, or a scene from a TV show, drop it in a completely different place or time, and proceed to rip it apart. It’s like a giant never ending Rubik’s cube, big fun.

-Aaron

Tuesday Gets Inspired!

Lots of things inspire me as a writer, whether it be the weather, a snatch of conversation, an add on T.V., or a news story. Today I'm going to talk about some of my biggest inspirations.

My Family
These guys have been around my whole life and in that time, they've been a big source of inspiration and support to me and my writing and they never fail to remind me to keep going after what I want and finishing a book (they really want to retire early, and apparently I'm they're solution, lol!)

Other Writers

It's people like these guys that make me want to write forever and improve my work (and maybe go all fangirl in the process! :P)







And it's having people like Aaron, Bethany, Emery and Hayley in my life that make me feel so blessed and happy to be a writer and thank God everyday that I'm not on this crazy writing roller coaster alone!

Books

And one of the reasons why I started writing in the first place...







So that I could have my chance to contribute to the wonderful world of books!

Movies

Movies are a big inspiration to me, some of my faves that always manage to get my creative juices flowing...







T.V.

Man do I love T.V.! Especially these shows! All I wanna do is write after watching them!







Music

And last but certainly not least the stuff that keeps me sane throughout the writing process:







So, as you can see, I have a wide range of things that get me all pumped up and ready to write! Now tell me, what inspires you? :)

Until next time,
~Ella