Inspiration
Mario has been putting me to shame with his excellent blogs about books and writing. I wondered what I could do to add my own offerings since lately I've been immersed in promo for Haunted. So I started thinking about a blog piece I did earlier in the year as a guest post--answering a question that is often asked writers--what inspires me as a writer.
Maybe this is a good time to share how I answered that question, especially since so many of us are fresh from Colorado Gold and filled with enthusiasm for the writing process. And with NaNoWriMo just around the corner, it may be the push some of us need to get
serious about our writing.
So when asked me what inspires me as a writer and a person, my first response was
everything. But then I realized I was confusing inspiration with the process of taking an idea and developing it into a story.
Two different things.
The muse that sparks an idea can be anything. I get ideas for my books from newspapers, television shows, eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations, other books. Ideas float on the air like dandelion snow. You only have to hold out your hand to grab one.
Inspiration is something else.
Inspiration is what makes me sit down at the computer everyday. It’s what helps me through the dark days when it seems I’m fighting a losing battle against the indifference of critics and sometimes even my agent and editor. It’s fighting the urge to give up when a brand new writer comes out of nowhere and wins that huge contract complete with movie and TV rights and a six-figure advance. And then reading the book and realizing, it is that good.
Inspiration is that voice inside you that says keep going. It’s the message of a character like Anna Strong that I want women to hear. It’s the voice that says women are strong and clever and capable of great bravery—with or without super powers.
I need to be my own inspiration. I need to have faith in my abilities and the determination to persevere. I can and do take strength from those around me--my husband, my daughter, my writing partners, my friends. Ultimately, though, I am responsible for myself.
We all are, aren't we?
What inspires you?
inspirational graphics