Posts tagged ‘inspiration’
My Writing is Thankful For…
…the holidays. (And not because I deem a holiday the excuse I’ve been looking for to put my thoughts to rest.) Quite the contrary.
Such days are full of life — bursting with color.
Personality surrounds you. And the uplifting tone has a way of re-centering your spirit — a refreshed appreciation for the simplicities of life. A grounding, of sorts, for what truly matters. And the excitement lies within the characters (family and friends) and the heart of their stories.
I have been known to hop up amidst conversation and burrow to the corner of the room, even if for only a few minutes. I’m taking notes — jotting tidbits of thought and inspiration from the intricacies of these personalities I adore so much (for both their complexities and complimenting attributes).
These little notes may not make up a complete character in my developing story, but may contribute to or spread across the motions of many of my characters. Or perhaps a word or phrase strikes an idea for a new storyline or twist to my current plot.
My point is, home is your comfort zone — a place where inspiration flows easily and in its purest form. And so, this holiday, as you sit among the company of family and friends, really listen and look…feel. Inspiration…it’s all around you.
A Muse to Your Writing Creativity
Imagination needs a little help from time to time. And inspiration isn’t something kept in a bottle.
In the mix of daily writing routines, people watching, reading and research, even the best of writers run a little bit dry from time to time. Maybe ideas are at a standstill or your writing technique has become slightly mundane. Not to worry, it happens to the best of us…to all of us.
Now, Just Imagine: A writing piece without strings or long-term commitment. A piece that allows you to experiment with loose words and opens an unfastened freeness to your style.
I give you, The Writing Prompts.
Sometimes a bit hokey, occasionally deep and others far from what you would ever think to write about. But isn’t that the point? Prompts help to write beyond what you would normally write — to open new avenues of thought and ignite your creativity.
Let’s give it a try. I’m not going to place boundaries and word counts on you — that’s not free. Nor will I ever know if you actually participate, and so we are not committed to one another. So what do you have to lose? (Another day of struggling with your hidden fresh perspectives?)
Take your pick:
- Write about the 5 things you would do to entertain yourself if you did not see another soul for 10 days.
- What would you do with three wishes? How would these wishes affect your life and the lives of those connected to you?
- Write the final thoughts of a canary in a coal mine.
And if your creativity continues to fight back, search creative writing prompts or come back here every Friday for a new direction of creativity.
Rejuvenate Your Writing with Three Easy Fall Chores
Clean the windows. Check. Pack away all summer items. Check. Write. Check. Uncover new inspirations and Rewrite…
I absolutely love the cusp of a new season. Change – a refreshing start to something new and a shift in the pace and flavor of life. There’s something cozy in this cooler transition that makes me want to reacquaint myself with my words and get comfortable – fall into my writing.
Here are a few ways to rejuvenate your writing:
- Get back to nature. Go for a walk. Sit beneath a tree. Listen to the sounds of silence — of life. Breathe the simplicity while observing each intricate detail. Re-center yourself and clear your mind. Then ask yourself: Why am I a writer? And what is it that I write?
- Take in the change. Embrace your surroundings and allow its progression of change to fuel your inspirations. Look out — outside of you. Imagine scenarios of people passing by, understand the relationship of time with the emotions of these characters, and adjust the details of your scenes to fit the moving tone of your story. Be a watcher. And pull many bits of inspiration from what you see right now.
- Find your nook. Right now I’m sitting in an over-sized chair, sweater socks up to my knees, breeze through the open window, a hot cup of coffee … and it feels pretty darn good. Whether you have a routine for writing, a place you depend on, or fancy a little variety, know your nook. Know what it is that you need to write.
It all seems pretty simple — find the you in your words, appreciate the movement of life and of others that surround you, and write what you feel where you feel most comfortable. (Oh yeah, and don’t forget the cozy socks.)
A Week In Pictures: Some Visual Inspiration
Remember to check out the Writer’s Tip and Prompt located to the right (yep, scroll down just a bit).
Melissa
A Writer’s Thoughts in Solitude
I examine the everyday life and pull in bits and pieces of sparked inspiration. I’m an observer and observing is a task I set out to fuel the missing pieces of my stories — a possible plot line, the details of a character, a more suitable scene, new phrasing for descriptive storytelling.
I watch motions, listen to language and seek unusual details in the mundane.
I think most writers are watchers. Our thought process looks for those small pieces and we can’t help but pull life from our surroundings.
But, I’m left to wonder. Is the creativity of a writer derived from the world around us? Or is it deep within our internal make up? Is our best work created in the mix of urban ambiance or the escape of suburbia to a place of solitude?
Many writers have fled the concrete utopia for a life of seclusion and thought. A decision to give up on the routine of this increasingly fast-paced life. Here, stories have evolved — the kinds of stories that last. Is it a clearing of distractions that allows the deepest of internal search? A place where our truest form of a voice is discovered?
Or, is it those same distractions that add life and personality to your words? The muse of everyday that connects us to readers.
Perhaps it depends on the writer. And maybe we need the struggle and the joys of each to truly find ourselves in our writing. What are your thoughts?
Peer-Critique: Aravaipa
Another thank you to authors submitting pieces of your work for our grand display and hopeful feedback.
Our second peer-critique is an excerpt from “Aravaipa,” a novel in progress.
In the Orchard, 1896
Ida would gather bits of string and yarn she had accumulated during her knitting in the winter, and in early spring would offer them in the open garden, so the birds could have them for their nests; small lengths of maybe 8 or 10 inches long. She would occasionally see a nest with a bit of the yarn left over from the sweater she had knitted for her husband, or from the shawl she knitted for herself.
One windy afternoon in the spring, on one of her after-supper walks, Ida saw a flash of yellow at the side of her vision; she immediately went toward the color, concerned that one of her song birds was in trouble of some kind. Ida went through the orchard, to where the bird was. She hurried to the bird, and she saw he had a bit of green yarn around his leg, and was attached to a low twig and could not get free. When she got to the bird, she found that he had already died; this beautiful yellow male meadowlark, had died gathering nesting materials in his endeavor to provide for his little avian family.
Ida sat down, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew the feeling of hope of a family being shattered by the turn of events. Her own stillborn babies came to mind, her feeling of loss, emptiness. She felt compassion and sorrow for the mate of this beautiful bird, and for the babies that could only be fed and supported by one parent. She said a silent prayer for the babies of this noble bird, for their health and survival.
Ever so gently, she began untangling the yarn from his leg. At last she freed the little dead bird from the yarn that bound him to the tree. She dug a hole where she was, and placed this meadowlark in it; she could hardly see the bird for the tears that welled in her eyes, and streamed down her cheeks, or the little grave she had created for him, as she lowered him into it and covered him up.
Somehow, to Ida, this was a warning, a harbinger of something to come. She refused to even think of it. It was too awful to even contemplate.
Ida composed herself, as best she could, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and tried to gain composure. She needed to return to the farmhouse. She refused to think of what was in the back of her mind.
In the garden, she worked the handle of the water pump until enough water came through to splash on her face. She dried herself on her apron and composed herself, before she went in the door of the back porch.
Ida did not mention the yellow bird. The sense of foreboding would not go away.
Please benefit the author and fellow readers by sharing your opinions in the below comment section. And remember that feedback improves writing and story development. E-mail in your writing excerpt to blog@wordclay.com.
–Melissa
A Week In Pictures: The Details of Home
Look around, nearby, at the inspirations that surround where you are from. It’s these little details that we tend to overlook.
What inspires you around your home? Capture it. Write about it.
–Melissa
Where’s Your Inspiration Hiding?
The beauty behind writing is life. And behind life is freedom. The freedom to explore and find the You in wherever you are.
–Melissa
