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Sources of Inspiration

Sources of Inspiration: Other People’s Stories

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One of my favorite bookstores moved away. It was the closest thing I had to a local bookstore. On a sorrowful whim, I picked up The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. Other stories were included besides the title story. The Company of Wolves was one of them. Years ago, I’d watched the movie which was based on this story. The Company of Wolves had been one of first experiences with fairy tale recreations, shaping and influencing my own work. Almost as soon as I opened The Bloody Chamber and started to read it, I put it down again. Not because … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Just a Feeling

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Every once in a while, I walk by someone. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye. My skin crawls. I don’t know why. I don’t even know him. I just want to get away from him as soon as possible. Other times, I look into a stranger’s eyes and find myself smiling. She smiles back. We’re instantly at ease with each other. I don’t know why. Some of my favorite moments on television remind me of these moments. I remember a scene in the very first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy approached a shy, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Creativity vs. Practicality

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Too often, my desire to write, my creative impulse outstrips my ability to perform. My hands simply can’t move fast enough to put all the stories into words. Ideas come and go too quickly to transmuted into stories. I’ve got so many I’ve begun which I’ve put on hold, due to constraints of time or my own physical limits. I can only take sitting for so long. I have other things that need to get done. Many a practical concern awaits, ready to distract me from my manuscript. Practicalities often dictate what project I choose to focus. I need to … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Activity Inspires Activity

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April is coming. A month in which I do more writing than any other time of the year. First there’s Camp NaNoWriMo. I love this kind of creative, online camping where we share a cabin with a bunch of other writers, letting ourselves inspire each other, pushing ourselves forward. Camp works best for me if I combine it with a pragmatic goal, a submission goal, or a Work in Progress that requires attention. I haven’t always made my Camp goal. I always get some work done even if it’s only a few words. Not to mention there’s a positive rush … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Shiny!

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  Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed. Trying to make deadlines. Finishing projects. Trying to market myself. Trying, trying, I’m so very trying. (rueful grin) I think I’ve been trying too hard. I need to find the fun again. After all, if I’m not having fun finishing my projects and marketing myself, how can I expect anyone else to appreciate my efforts? This is one of the reasons Quartz mouths off to on varied social media. We’re attempting to have a little fun while marketing…and venting. :) He expresses a lot of my own doubs and irritations about my journey as a … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: What Does This Mean?

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Talking about what inspires me is not a subject that can never be done to death. Not for me. It involves my very creativity, the well spring for which I get all my ideas from. Every story I’ve ever written and will write in the future exists because I got inspired. I don’t use this energy just for stories, although stories are a major part of my life. I often draw direction for what I want to write about and how I live my life from inspiration. For me, it’s the spark of creativity. This spark comes from myself as … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: What I’ve Lost, What I Have

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It’s curious talking to all the readers who loved holiday tales and the writers who craft them. This time, I’m one of the writers. Seven Tricks definitely counts a holiday tale. Curiouser and curiouser. This isn’t a time of year when I focus primarily on writing. Don’t get me wrong. I do my best to stay in practice. I write something every day, working on polishing my craft. My focus is on other things, though. Christmas shopping. Decorating the tree. Writing an annual letter (this is one of the major projects of the season). Above all, spending time with my … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Recharging

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We’re in the middle of NaNoWriMo right now. It’s a time of supercharged creative tension. People are scribbing and typing, trying to churn out 50K words before the month ends. It can also be a time of staring at the blank page or words written, contemplating a corresponding blank space in one’s head. All the while, the writer wonders what happened to their inspiration, their desire to write this particular story? How do they move forward from that blankness, even if it’s just a little? I’m only too well acquainted with this blankness. I’ve stared at my empty page, feeling … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Vulnerability

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I’ve been thinking about vulnerability a lot lately. Every time I use a form of social media, I feel vulnerable. Do I feel brave enough to post this? I constantly ask myself this question. It’s exciting, but it’s scary, too. I don’t know who’s out there, who’s listening. At least some of them may be enemies. By using a social medium, I’m exposing myself and my stories to them. The bright side is that there are friends out there, too. There are allies. There may even be those special readers I dream of connecting with. Readers I’ll enchant and inspire, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Music

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One of the earliest memories is of hearing Albioni on Sesame Street. The viewer observed a close up of a dandelion while the music played. This moment stayed with me along with many of Sesame Street’s more humorous numbers. Years later, I watched the original Cosmos, open mouthed, while Vanglis’s ‘Alpha’ played to a series of images showing evolution. Music had always had a profound effect on me. It didn’t end with listening and feeling. I remember listening to Depeche’s Mode’s ‘Music for the Masses’. Images played out in my imagination along with David Gahan singing ‘Never Let Me Down … Read more