Tag Archives: Inspiration

Take Your Vitamins

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

 

Take Your Vitamins

By Nandy Ekle

I believe in taking vitamins. I’ve taken tons of vitamins of all letters for lots of years and they have kept my body healthy.

But I’ve ben running low on vitamin “w” for a while. So I pulled out a certain book and began re-reading it. Sure enough, I found my spirit and inspiration returning.

So, what is that certain book, the one full of the vitamin I crave? It’s the book, On Writing, by Stephen King.

My admiration for Mr. King is no secret. In fact, I dream of actually being considered his peer some day. But in order for that to happen I have to write more than am right now. I have the desire, I have the stories, I think I even have a slight touch of the talent. The only thing I’m lacking is the energy. And this probably because of a lack of exercise, due to my extremely low levels of vitamin w.

And so, I turn to Mr. King to recharge me. And, of course, no one can ever read On Writing and NOT feel inspired to suddenly sit down and write a thousand page novel or two. Now that my w levels have returned to normal, I will begin to exercise—tomorrow.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

 

Think About It and Become Inspired

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Think About It and Become Inspired

By Rory C. Keel

Recently I found myself bogged down in writing my Novel. My first thought was that I had lost my ability to write. However, I seem to be able to spell and put a sentence together and my computer still functions. My fingers are flexible enough to hold a pen write on the reams of paper I have so what’s the problem, the lack of inspiration.

Inspiration

Inspiration doesn’t fall from the clouds nor is it mystical but it is a product of action.

When we feel inspired, it’s because we’ve been thinking and meditating on information we have taken into our minds through our senses. We take all of this information and then twist it, shake it, mold it and place it into a certain order in our minds that makes sense to us.

We then become inspired.

This process is action that produces inspiration.

roryckeel.com

Writers and Their Many Lives

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Writers and Their Many Lives

By Natalie Bright

As I waited for our Dairy Queen order, I checked my iPhone calendar. Today, Monday, deliver lunch to my husband who was tending to cattle. I’ll hop a ride with him while he makes his afternoon rounds keeping watch for spring photo opportunities.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, it’s back to the day job office. I’d wear my best speaker suit and heels for a lunch at an exclusive dinner club in downtown Amarillo to talk about children’s literature with a group of retired educators. I am looking forward to what I feel sure will be a lively discussion.

What a contrast. Today I watched a newborn calf on wobbly legs take his first taste of warm milk. Tomorrow I’d be peering down at the streets of the city from the 30th floor of a high rise office building.

A Writer’s Path

A friend and author of 37 books, Jodi Thomas, warned me that if I took the writer’s path I’d be living several lives. I realize now that she didn’t just mean the stories inside my head.

The writing part of your life is nothing like the living part of your life, although there are some who seem to manage the chaos. For most of us families and day jobs are detached from prose and publishing. Add to that marketing, promotion, social media, conferences, networking, and whatever else it takes to achieve our dreams of becoming a successful author. Families have no idea what we do.

There too is the world inside our heads. On some days I feel like the stories choose me and I am powerless to control the process. To successfully convey that world on to a blank page, writers must immerse them selves in the fictional existence of our imagination. If it’s believable and real to us, we hope it will be the same for our readers.

My life seems so jammed packed, and when I can’t imagine taking on one more task, I’ll say yes to chairing a committee or volunteering for the book fair at my son’s school. When I’m busiest shuttling kids and juggling appointments, a new character will shoot in my brain like a firework and I’m scrambling to find a blank page and a pen.

Live in the Moment

As I jotted notes for this blog on a crumpled piece of paper, I paused to watch a jumble of calves run away at the sound of the feed truck. They bumped and tottered across the pasture, stopping to catch their breath only to realize their mommas were nowhere close. They turned and made a beeline back towards the herd. We laughed at their shaky legs and cute faces. Today was full of greasy burgers and cloudy skies and endless pastures. New life running full tilt.

Tomorrow will be completely different.

“They’re thinking it’s a great day to be in the world,” my husband said.

Yes. It certainly is. It’s a great day to be in the world, no matter how many worlds or lives or careers you might have. We make it through whatever this day might bring, and then we can be somebody totally different tomorrow. And the cool part is we can write about it all.

Being a writer is never dull.

Chasing the Creative Impossible

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Chasing the Creative Impossible

by Natalie Bright

www.nataliebright.com

Time.

The elusive part of our lives that all creatives tend to never have enough of, whether you’re firing ceramics, designing jewelry, painting with oils, gluing scrapbook pages or crafting stories with words. There comes a time when chasing your passion is like taking a slow, tortuous swim in a deep, murky pool of self-guilt. The reality is that most of us won’t realize world notoriety.

People Who Inspire You

I just returned from a writing conference where, of course, the topic of making time to write was discussed. Everyone struggles to follow their passion. Spending time with imaginative people helps me bring my ambition into focus. It makes my goals list seem more realistic and achievable, because I meet others who have accomplished what I dream about. Feeling exhausted, rejuvenated, and itching to apply what I’d learned to my waiting manuscript, the drive home took forever. I couldn’t wait to get my fingers on the keyboard again.

What Creative People Do

This weekend at the Enid Writers Group in Oklahoma, Spur Award winning author, Dusty Richards said, “Things will be tough in your life, but when you get to the other side, you still gotta write that book, or do whatever it is that drives you. Just do it.”

Something from Nothing

I think this applies to anyone who chases that elusive need to bring into being what they alone can visualize. People who are driven by an unseen creative muse can’t explain the why. At some point, it’s time to stop providing the excuses, the clarification, or the justification to others. At some point, all that’s left is the doing.

Dig deeper, keep going, just keep writing.

Note: Dusty Richards is author of over 100 books and countless short stories, and currently serves as President of the Western Writers of America. His Brynes Family Ranch Western series is a fan favorite, published by Pinnacle Books. www.dustyrichards.com

Motivation #4

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Motivation #4

By N. Bright

Story Beginnings

Glorious words and unique descriptions inspire me to work harder on my own stories. Next time you’re out enjoying a latte, wander into your favorite section of the bookstore and read the first two paragraphs only of randomly selected novels. Great story beginnings can be very inspirational. If you come across a few that blow you away, jot one or two first sentences down in your idea notebook (You do have pen and paper in your pocket or purse, right? I use the notepad on my iPhone a lot too.)

Finding Inspiration in Beginnings

Since I write for children, here are a few of my favorite beginnings in books for kids.

humor (+ element of sound effects)

“On the morning of the best day of her life, Maud Flynn was locked in the outhouse, singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

interesting fact

“The road that led to Treegap had been trod out long before by a herd of cows who were, to say the least, relaxed. It wandered along in curves and easy angles, swayed off and up in a pleasant tangent to the top of a small hill, ambled down again, between fringes of bee-hung clover, and then cut sidewise across a meadow.”

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

surprise

“Princess Quinn of the underground Kingdom of Mandria steadied herself as she balanced upon a footstool in the circle of light directly below the wishing pool.”

Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan

“Phut Phat knew, at an early age, that humans were an inferior breed. They were unable to see in the dark. They ate and drank unthinkable concoctions.”

Phut Phat Concentrates by Lilian Jackson Braun

unusual idea

“In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark. The only light came from great flood lamps mounted on the buildings and at the tops of poles in the middle of the square.”

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

personal vignette

“Gramps says that I am a country girl at heart, and that is true.”

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

in the middle of things

“Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.” (+ element of dialogue)

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

What motives you to keep writing and submitting, despite the rejection and bad reviews? We’d love to hear from you, too.

Thanks for joining us at WordsmithSix!

www.nataliebright.com

Motivation #3

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Motivation #3

By N. Bright

For self-preservation, writers must learn how to take the critiques that go along with the publishing business as objective feedback and move on. It is really the hardest thing to do and maintain productive momentum as well. You have to keep cranking those pages out, if you ever want success.

I’m blogging about ideas to help you stay motivated.

Read Author Bios

THE TALE OF BEATRIX POTTER by Margaret Lane, published 1946 by Frederick Warne & Co Ltd inspires me to learn more about story craft. Beatrix spent her days as a little girl in a third-floor retreat of Bolton Gardens in London, where she drew pictures and wrote stories about her pets and kept detailed field journals of plants she discovered while summering in Scotland every year.

“…she was very rarely sent for out of the nursery or taken anywhere, and she never went to school.”  Thinking of that lonely child breaks my heart, or maybe I can relate since I’m an only child, but oh, what wondrous things she created in her solitude. It wasn’t until her mid-thirties that she got the notion to self-publish her own illustrated children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

For inspiration, read about the writing career of your favorite authors. The internet is abundant with Q&A’s, podcasts, and website bios.  After opening a particularly biting rejection, I could not force myself to write much of anything.  I spent one day job shuffling piles back and forth across my desk, and then I spent lunch break watching podcast interviews in which authors talked about the spark and inspiration behind their novels. Their experiences motivated me to keep going and it also reminded me how this business runs like “molasses going up hill,” as one author described her career.

The roadblocks and successes of others can be an inspiration to you.

What Motivates You?

What motives you to keep writing and submitting, despite the rejection and bad reviews? We’d love to hear from you, too.

Thanks for joining us at WordsmithSix!

www.nataliebright.com

Motivation #2

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Motivation #2

by N. Bright

Do you still waste creative energy fretting over things you can’t control, like rejection letters you can understand or bad reviews from snarky people? I’m blogging about motivation and self-discipline, and finding way to stay inspired.

Read a Book Relating to Your Story’s Theme

Whatever the theme, setting, time period, or genre of your current work in progress, read articles or books relating to that topic. Have you found a picture of your main character’s home? What is the floor plan? Have you researched the history of the town your story is set in?  What about vehicles, food, or clothing? The list is endless.

Bookstore Treasures

A recent rummage through a used-book-story resulted in a 1st Edition copy of A-WOMAN-TENDERFOOT by Grace Gallatin Seton Thompson. This treasure was published in 1900 by Doubleday. I’m holding a 100 year old book in my hands! It’s about camping and backpacking in the Rocky Mountainswritten by a Victorian city girl who refused to allow her husband to vacation out west without her. I loved her adventurous nature.

In her own words, “Dear woman who goes hunting with her husband, be sure that you have it understood that you do no cooking, or dishwashing… Cooking out of doors at best is trying, and certainly you cannot be care free, camp life’s greatest charm, when you have on your mind the boiling of prunes and beans, or when tears are starting from your smoke-inflamed eyes as you broil the elk steak for dinner.”

Her positive nature and sense of adventure when she road through the mountain snow or shot her first elk for their dinner shed much wit on her experiences out west. I hope I can convey the same sense of wonder and freedom in my historical westerns for kids.

Bury yourself in your story. When you’re not writing, you can read about anything and everything relating to your novel.

What Motivates You to Keep Writing?

Over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing insight on motivation, and we’d love to hear from you, too.

Thanks for joining us at WordsmithSix!

www.nataliebright.com

State of Mind: Motivation Part 1

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State of Mind:  Motivation Part 1

By N. Bright

 

Rejection is inevitable

— if you’re writing and submitting on a regular basis. No doubt, being a writer requires self-discipline and a whole lot of confidence in your purpose.

After a while you have to learn how to let opinions roll off, and if you haven’t been able to take the critiques that go along with the publishing business, the time is now for a new mindset. Stop wasting creative energy fretting over things you can’t control. As long as you keep writing, polishing, learning story craft and submitting, at some point you will have success.

Sometimes though, I have to admit, there’s always that one comment that gets to me and makes me question the whole process. Was it really necessary for that critic to add one more jab after the ‘no’? These types of rejection makes me loose sleep wondering what I could have done differently. Maybe the ending doesn’t fit, maybe the middle sags, or maybe the beginning needs a prologue. Perhpas I need a complete redesign of the website, to work harder on my blogs or make an effort to be more active with my tweets. And then I become obsessed about working even harder and pushing myself to submit more. Good grief! Writing is the hardest work I’ve ever done.

Motivation to Keep Going

The few months of rejections and a few successes as well, got me to thinking about motivation.

As writers, how can we keep a positive attitude?  How can we maintain our creative energy and be productive despite the ongoing criticism?

How-To by A Favorite Author

If you’ve lost your motivation to write and need some inspiration, find a how-to book about story craft written by one of your favorite authors.

TAKE JOY by Jane Yolen (published in 2003 by Kalmbach Publishing Company) is one of my favorite books on writing by one of the most prolific children’s authors of today, whose career span decades and includes hundreds of books. Right at the beginning of the book she states, “We are talking here about the difference between desire and obsession; between hobby and life. But in either case, I suggest you learn to write not with blood and fear, but with joy.”

Many best-selling authors have penned how-to books, and most are available as eBooks. For a small investment in your career, you can be reading one right after you finish reading this blog. There’s something inspiring and motivating about someone who has worked hard and found success.

Where do You Find Inspiration?

Over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing insight on motivation, and we’d love to hear from you, too.

Thanks for joining us at WordsmithSix!

www.nataliebright.com

BATTLING THE BEAST

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BATTLING THE BEAST

I gaze into the eyes of the beast searching to find its soul. I am caught in the childhood game of “the first one who blinks looses,” yet he shows no emotion, no rising of brow, no blinking or shedding of tears, just a long menacing stare.

The creature’s leering eye grows brighter with every passing moment, seemingly intent on seeing the space of my existence. My vision is full of his sight, yet I see nothing.

I study his unrelenting look, my mind searching the far corners and deep recesses, constantly swirling, struggling to find some strategy, or weapon or even one simple word that might defeat my enemy and win this mind-numbing battle.

The desire to close my eyes tugs at the lids. The moisture surrounding my orbs in their sockets has become dry and I struggle against the urge to rub them. The creature shows no signs of weakening and continues to counter every glance.

Without my consent, sudden darkness is all I see. I blink. I am immediately torn between two emotions. First, relief. Moist droplets flood my eyes like waters of the sea crashing onto the shore. The fetters that once restrained the rubbing of my eyelids have now been unfastened.

And second, In the darkness of my blink, dread fills my mind as I wait for the wrath of my opponent to be unleashed. Or perhaps he has already struck with such a swift penalty that I didn’t feel the pain. In the deafening silence I dare to open my eyes. To my surprise I find that it was not I who blinked first, but the computer screen upon which I placed these words.

Rory C. Keel

When the Muse Strikes

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Outtakes 53

When the Muse Strikes

Don’t you just love those days when you power up the computer, open your current document, and start typing? They are few and far between, but when they come along, the pages fill as if by magic. There have been days I started work at eight in the morning and looked up ten hours later with more than one completed chapter. There are rules for such days. At least these are my rules.

  1. Send an email to family and friends to let them you are in the zone, and please do not call unless it’s an emergency. Those that love you will respect your need to work.
  2. Do not answer the door or the phone. It does no good to ask for writing time and then give in to a ringing phone. Turn down the ringer volume, and work.
  3. Do not read email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs (unless it’s mine), or play games. Once you start one of these activities, it’s hard to get back to your writing.
  4. Do not research. If you come to a point where you need additional facts, mark the spot with a brief note as to what is needed, highlight it and go on. Research may kill the Muse, so hold off on the mundane.
  5. Stop only when you need a quick break to run to the bathroom, grab a cup of coffee, and get a snack. Keep the break short so that you don’t get distracted by the laundry that needs to be done, or the living room that needs dusting. This is one time when you are allowed to procrastinate.
  6. Turn off your internal editor. Forget about the red and green squiggly lines on the page. You can edit tomorrow. Keep the writing flow going until the inspiration runs out. Believe me, the Muse will depart, but what a day you’ve had.
  7. When you have exhausted the Muse, be sure you save and back up your work. I often neglect the last step, but one computer crash will convince you the necessity of the back-up. Save the pages on a flash drive, on Carbonite, or on an external hard drive. I also print a copy of the new pages. If the house floods and all the electronics are in the water’s path, a print out stored in a water-tight box on high closet shelf will preserve your efforts.

Enjoy those rare days when everything just seems to work. The visits from the Muse or infusions of inspiration make up for the days you struggle.

Cait Collins