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Sources of Inspiration

Sources of Inspiration: Seeing What I Want

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I just saw a series which is no longer on the air (you can see what it is from the picture). It gave me something I’m always looking for, yearning for in my stories and writing. Intimacy within adversity and conflict, offered up with all the raw power that two enemies find themselves within as they become something more. I’m not certain if Hannibal is a love story or not. I like the uncertainty of not knowing exactly what it is, the mystery. This love of mystery in such matters may be one of the reasons I’ve avoided classifying myself … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Change

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It’s easy for me to fall into a rut. I wear the same clothes and accessories. I watch certain shows. I listen to the same playlists of music over and over. It’s comforting, especially when I’m troubled by something or doubled over with pain from one of those wonderful sinus headaches which make the back of my head throb, upsetting my stomach. (I’m being sarcastic.) Only that cycle of comfortable familiarity can make my imagination sleepy. Sometimes I need to do something different to wake it up. I’ll stop reaching for the same pair of earrings I’ve been wearing for … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Blogs

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crystal - KS trenten - sources of inspiration

At times I worry that I’m spending too much time on my blogs, time that takes me away from my many works in progress. The Cauldrons, however, have been a vital source of inspiration, creativity, and energy since becoming a professional writer. They give me an idea of what direction I want to take my stories in. They’ve given my characters a spot to express themselves, bringing to my attention matters I need to focus on. Quartz has taken on a life of his own in Secondary Characters Speak Out, refusing to let himself fade away, even when I’m concentrating … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Space and Company

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I’ve been thinking about this a lot during Camp NaNoWriMo. To write, I find I require space and company at different times. I need a place where I can write, be alone with my thoughts, or at least be allowed to work. It would be nice for that location to be quiet, but that’s not always possible. I’m getting better at blocking out distractions, like background noise (even though it still irritates me), but sometimes a family member wants something or needs attention. They’re determined to be heard, so I must be equally determined to sneak away. To go to … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Someone Else

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There’s nothing quite like sharing my ideas with another person, especially someone who’ll listen and respond to what I say. Someone who offers not only positive reinforcement but interest. I get a charge of energy being around such people. More ideas pop into my head as we talk, concepts for potential stories, blogs, all kinds of projects. People are a source of creative vitality like nothing else for me. I doubt I would have gotten as far as I have as a writer if I hadn’t been lucky enough to have such people, encouraging me at various times in my life. … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Opposites

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opposites - pixabay

One of my favorite books, Something Wicked This Way Comes, derives a measure of energy from two of its protagonists being opposites. Jim Nightshade is brash, adventurous, seeking danger, half in love with the dark promise of the autumn carnival. Will Halloway is thoughtful, sensitive to the danger in the air, yet somehow more innocent because of it. All of this is expressed in exquisite, visual prose which fires the imagination, much of which might be lost to modern edits. Opposites were depicted in a very different way in Naruto, a pair of contrasting characters I became quite obsessed with. Uzumaki … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Food for Imagination

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We’re in the middle of my favorite month, a time of brilliant fall colors and my favorite grapes. It’s also the month of Halloween. If there’s a holiday I love writing fiction about, it’s this one. Vampires, ghosts, and witches are among my favorite subject matter all year around. Halloween celebrates the gothic. It’s a holiday associated with ancient crypts filled with secrets or creatures waiting to be released within banks of mist in which the undead could be waiting. Grinning pumpkin illuminate the darkness, drawing attention to smiles that are a little disturbing. All of this imagery is food … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Ideas

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For me, sources of inspiration are closely linked with ideas. Much of my inspiration comes from one that pops into my head. I mull it over, allowing it to take form. I start writing about it, allowing it grow and spread across the piece of paper or file. Before long, I have a scene, a paragraph, a segment of dialogue. I start thinking about the circumstances which led to that dialogue, writing it down. Before too long, I have a story. Ideas can lead to other creative works as well, like blog posts or interviews. An idea allowed Quartz, not … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Ideas Sparked by Interests

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Anne Rice, a writer whose works I’ve adored since I was a teenager, offered up some advice I’ve never forgotten. To go where the pleasure is, as well as the pain. Expressing what’s raw and painful can be cathartic. It’s a powerful source of emotion to draw upon, our own pain. Writing about what’s fun, what fascinates you, well, there’s a good chance you’ll keep writing if you’re interested, isn’t there? How apt that Anne Rice was the one who offered this advice. She’s been the source of many of story I loved. Her concept of vampires utterly hooked me. More … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Writing Itself

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Sometimes I’ve found the best source of inspiration is to simply pick up a pencil and start writing. Or to force myself to start typing at a keyboard. There’s something about moving my hands, putting words down on a page (or screen) even if those words are garbage. I may be tired. I may to do something else. I sit down, groaning and grumbling. I stare at what I’ve written or an empty page. I try to think of few sentences, even if they’re jarring or not quite right. I’ve found that stopping at an exciting moment, at the height … Read more