A to Z - "R" is for Reading

Reading is good.

Reading makes you a better writer. It shows you the possibilities of other worlds and provides great examples of good writing. Reading is studying in the most fun way.

In fact, I was so enamored with the gems in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and the Sloppy Firsts series, that I took notes! It's okay to jot down lines other writers use in your Writer's Notebook to inspire you to greatness. Just no plagiarizing!

What are you currently reading?

I'm working on the Maze Runner series, the Septimus Heap series, and I read to my class The City of Ember a few days a week and my son Harry Potter nearly every night. The last two I have read before, but it always worth a re-read.

I have a stack of books on the shelf to dig into this summer. Most were bought for Christmas. One of the perks of being a teacher is a summer to read. :)

A to Z - "I" is for Inspiration

Where do you find Inspiration?

As a creative writer, inspiration can come from anywhere; a bit of dialogue, a tagline, a backstory a movie didn't explore.

There are a few things I need to prime my mind for receiving inspiration:

1. A place to jot ideas down.  This is where a writer's notebook comes in handy. A writer's notebook can come in any form. Use your phone, your laptop, a voice recorder, or a spiral bound notebook in any size and a pen. Take a portable version of your notebook with you, be it an app, a stack of post-its, or email a voice recording to yourself later. Cell phones are great tools if you connect them to your workspace. Plus, once you get there and start writing, often more ideas will come.

A Writer's Notebook is Born

2. Begin writing. It could be a blog post, a journal entry, or a doodle, just get started! I like to use micro fiction websites like Ficlatté to capture little scenes that could become longer pieces later.

3. Art. Find something unique, beautiful, or flawed. Use pinterest, web searches, deviant art, or go to a gallery near you. I like Rob Gonslaves and Leonid Afremov.

“Towers Of Knowledge” By Rob Gonsalves Art

4. Music. This usually doesn't work for me, because I find music distracting from the creative process, but it does work for others. There are times when I was listening to something and managed to get inspired and jot down an idea. There have also been times when I could write with music playing. I find myself ignoring the music and focusing on the story. Sometimes my house is too noisy and I need to put in the earbuds to block the other sounds out! But usually, I need silence to work in.

5. Silence. Being alone with my thoughts, as long as I have an idea, is the best way for me to write. I can outline, script, or even follow threads and tangents in complete silence.

6. Social. My best muses are other creative people. I have asked for writing prompts, beta readers, a co-author, or even just read someone else's writing and felt inspired to sequel. Sometimes having a fight with a friend has sparked some intense writing. Not that I recommend having fights with friends, but the point is that hiding like a hermit is not always the best place to find inspiration.

Illustration by David Saracino

7. Distraction. Driving or sitting on the toilet are often the places where inspiration strikes. You are forced to stay in one place and there is nothing to do but think. There might be music or a book involved, but most of my body is involved in some monotonous task. Doing a puzzle is like this as well. The repetition of putting pieces together is enough of a repetitive task that my mind is free to wander.

What inspires you or where do you find yourself suddenly with all the greatest ideas?



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Finding Myself: Live to My Potential

I just finished an inspiring book, perfect for a New Year, full of revelations and encouragement and phrased in a very down to earth and a very Christian in the real world way. It's called Packing Light by Allison Vesterfelt.

 After reading it, I pulled out an old journal I wrote only inspirational things in. I found some quotes I wrote down from some forward-thinking doctoral business student. I bet he is doing awesome things right now. In trying to find my source, I have come up empty, but when I find it, I will link it.

In this non-fiction book, the author shares a dream with her friend. Her friend shares her dream back and sees a way to combine them and says, "why not do this?" They decide to go on a road trip to all 50 states and one will sing and get her talent known, and one will write a book about it. They made a list of what things would have to go to make this happen, like their apartments, their jobs, and one car. They decided to sell some stuff, make arrangements, tell people what they were doing, and make it happen.

They followed this quote:

When you talk about something, it's a dream.
When you envision it, it's exciting.
When you plan it, it's possible.
When you schedule it, it's reality.

They do stuff, they rely on the kindness of strangers, they see some iconic sights and do some neat things. They fight, they fall in love, they break up, they make up, they ponder what the meaning of everything is, or at least the author does. She questions God, herself, her motives, her place in the universe. 

This book is about learning that:

Who I am is greater than anything that could happen to me.

But mostly, it's that being who you are to the fullest extent is worship, is living out your purpose, and it is fulfilling. Taking a road trip, doing things, doesn't change the feelings you have of home, of emptiness, of wanderlust, or of seeking purpose. What fills that hole inside you is allowing yourself to be yourself.

Our life is made up of little moments, little decisions, little actions or inactions.

If we focus on holding onto everything, we clutter our lives and create chaos. If we focus on letting everything go, we float off into emptiness and despair. Some things are worth holding onto. Some things are worth letting go of.

The only constant we have is that we are comprised of a wealth of inherent talents and traits and strengths that can be used to make the world and our lives a happy place where what we do changes us and those around us for the better. When we do what we love, or are made for, we glow. That glow is a beacon for others. Living our potential. My potential.

Are there tough times? Sure.

Is there always an easy way out? Nope.

But when we are fulfilling our destiny, we are in the Kingdom of Heaven, or in commune or worship with God. We are exactly where we need to be and who we really are. That just feels good. We are living to our potential.

Here's the Author's blog post about 5 Lies That Prevent You From Chasing Your Dream which I feel sums up the main ideas from the book pretty well. She addressed each of them in her own journey in the book. 

Uplifting Song for Valentine's

Since OuterHoard's comment to the previous post indicated that this song was about his impression of me, and since I've been so open with you about who I am in the 30 days of blogging pieces in January, I feel confident in posting this.


THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED (Coleman and Bartle, Sunrise After Tilling)
-----------------------

My friend walks the road less traveled
An unsealed road of discipline
She's sometimes led and sometimes driven
Sometimes hungry, sometimes fed
While we, the many, walk a highway
Lit so bright it must be true
She walks lanes that too few enter
Where tiny lanterns dot the gloom.

My friend turned her back on power
She chose another mobility
She finds peace in smaller places
For weakness is the source of grace
While we, the many, ask for praises
Through pride we're watered, so we grow
She avoids the kiss of culture
Down into the silence goes.

My friend walks a track that's stony
An uphill climb to God knows where
Sometimes she's touched by an ache so poignant
Sometimes she's driven to despair
While we, the many, skirt the painful
We, the many, anaesthetise
My friend looks, she seeks her darkness
She digs to find the better prize.


I think this song is saying a lot. And on days like Valentine's, we need to hear things that uplift us and make us feel special. It's nice to think that all the digging and despair is getting me somewhere; that it makes me a unique individual, the hardships mold me. Thoughts like that can give a girl strength.

I hope this song has reminded you to keep trudging through to reach the prize.



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Shout Outs

Day 15: Your favorite blogs

FINALLY I can take a break from talking about myself, which has been bugging me, and talk about others. Yay!

First of all, on the right, you will see links to blogs of fellow writers that I follow. Some of them I keep in touch with by other means. I follow more than are linked there, some that update infrequently so they aren't on the list right now, and I read more than I can follow.

I enjoy reading the blog of Betsy Lerner, an agent who has written a book about the writing craft called Forest for the Trees. Her snappy and blunt musings tell me that as an agent, she would put me in line and balance my calmer, weaker, passive demeanor. I printed out a quote of hers and have it taped to my 2011 office space:

"Dude, write your heart out. delete half of it. Get it into the hands of a writing workshop, class or freelance editor. Work on it more. Repeat. Send to moi and five other agents. See what happens. If you bottom out, try again. Revise. Start a new project. Revise, etc. Never give up. Self-publish. Just keep writing and developing and living. That's the most important part."

That is my new credo for 2011.

On a more dangerous note, I also follow Blogging Dangerously by an anonymous woman who writes about married S.E.X. As well as Adding Zest to Your Nest which is a Christian blog of multiple writers who provide advice, tips, suggestions, challenges, and addresses issues on Christian Married Sex.

Why?

Just because I don't talk about it, doesn't mean I don't have strong feelings about it. From those two blogs, you will get a feel for my feelings about it. I want to surround myself with like-minded people for support when I'm feeling less than frisky.

And that's enough about that. I'm not blogging anonymously here!

I also want to give a shout out to a friend who has made a basic Blog Post Inspiration Engine and needs contributors! You can see some of my blog posts linked there as well as his. If you have an idea, send him a note, maybe with your own blog post linked. He is author of The Outer Hoard and is one of my contacts in Australia! (Woohoo, I'm world-renowned! :P)

I follow several authors:

• K.M. Weiland
• Laurie Halse Anderson
• One day I want a site like Shawn Klomparens where you can find everything about my books. My Wordpress About tab is the closest I have. dailyspoonfulsofsugar.wordpress.com (and they are not daily as I had hoped)
• Or better yet, hook up with Digital Novelists like April Raines did.
  

And some inspiring blogs

• Operation NICE
• The Awe-manac
• 1000 Awesome Things (which is a book now)

Happy reading!


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