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Sources of Inspiration: Power

It’s alluring. It takes on many forms. It corrupts when hoarded. It strengthens many, when shared. It can be used to exploit entire nations, to ravage individuals of their self-respect, to prey upon the vulnerable. It can lift a person to lofty heights they’ve never dreamed of.  Power can be used for great good or great evil; for it can bestow greatness or reveal how small the wielder truly is.  What will you do with power? How will it change your characters? How will it effect everyone around them? Power can be the stuff of legends or nightmares. How it … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Dualities

Light and dark; the light casting a shadow. Good and evil struggle against each other, manifesting often in surprising forms.  These are not just the stuff of stories, but the stuff of legends.  I call them into question whenever I write. What is good? What is evil? What do we associate light with goodness while we fear the dark? True, there are things lurking in the dark that frighten us, but the light can burn and blind us.  I wasn’t certain if some of the striking dualities in fiction even existed in reality.  Now, I find myself wondering if they … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Safe Spaces

As I grow more and more fragile, I feel increasingly unsafe.  Plot may thrive on conflict, but I need a place, a space, and a time to channel that conflict into words. I need a place of safety to write.  All my life, I’ve felt as if I had to go through daily life, surrounded by enemies. I’ve reached out, searching desperately for allies, for kindred spirits while being screamed at, kicked, and hurt for simply being who I am.  I’ve tried to disappear, blend in, not wanting those enemies to know it was me they were screaming at, kicking, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Eternal?

I call my blog the Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration.  Sometimes I wonder if the very title is a lie. It’s my blog and I’m not eternal. No one is.  Recently, a major source of inspiration dried up, was reclaimed as something I can no longer use.  It wasn’t eternal, any more than I am, but our words remain as long as people read and remember them.  Perhaps this is enough for a writer to be eternal. To be read and remembered.  Perhaps my Cauldron will bubble as long as there’s something to add, stirring the creative juices, sparking creativity in … Read more