Drawing Inspiration
I always assumed that the writers I look up to (Stephen King, James Patterson, Stuart Woods, Lea Wait, Jennifer Crusie, and many others) are surrounded by inspiration. That is, until I decided to start taking my writing seriously. One of the first affirmations I chose for myself was "I do not wait for inspiration to write, I am inspired by writing." If I wait to be inspired, I won't touch a keyboard for weeks, even months, because life gets in the way. There are so many demands on our time, that we don't have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to hit. One of the young writers I work with commented a couple of weeks ago that the blank page staring at her freaks her out, and asked how I can sit down and just start typing. "What inspires you?" she asked.
The answer for me is competition. In order for me to be successful, I have to be accountable to someone other than myself. It's way to easy to lie to myself and bargain with myself. I believe me and fall for it every time. At this point, I have three completed novels (one published, one in the editting stages and one in the rough draft stage). I would never have gotten there if it were not for four very important things - in no particular order: Book-in-a-Week (BIC HOK TAM!!!), National Novel Writing Month, the Callaway County Writers Group, and my friend Lynn. BIW is the only thing that keeps me writing throughout the year. I have to admit - this week, I am knocking myself out (in spite of the 15" snow, a broken toe, and two holiday parties, etc., etc.) to write every single day no matter how tired I am when I finally get to sit down to the keyboard. Actually - that last phrase is pretty telling. Read it again. When I "get" to sit down to the keyboard. Writing is freeing. It is my escape from the yucky, nasty, messy world that we live in. And this month, I want to win. Or at least place in the top 10. It's a competitive yet supportive group. I push myself because I know others are pushing themselves. And several BIW'ers are successful writers, so I feel I they are worth emulating. That's where my friend Lynn comes in. She is my whip this week - checking up on me every day to make sure that I'm doing my part. And then there's NaNo. All three of my completed novels started as NaNo novels (by the way, our little region came in 7th in the averaged production per writer list!! Kudos to us!!). And that's how I got hooked up with my writers' group. I really like these people, and even though I only see them occasionally, we share a unique bond. I joined up as a Nano'er and stuck with them throughout the year. It is well worth it to have a face-to-face meeting with other writers. We are a lot different than any other. By our very nature, many of us have tendencies towards introversion. This gives us a chance to talk to others that understand our hopes, our fears, our dreams, our frustrations.
I encourage you to give serious thought to what inspires you. Do not wait for inspiration to hit. It doesn't knock on your door and ask if now is a convenient time. Surround yourself with inspiration. Think about what fires you up and makes you productive. It may be something like a support group, or it may be something completely different, such as having a ritual before you begin writing. Once you find something that inspires you, incorporate it into your life, and start making your dreams become realities, bit by bit.
The answer for me is competition. In order for me to be successful, I have to be accountable to someone other than myself. It's way to easy to lie to myself and bargain with myself. I believe me and fall for it every time. At this point, I have three completed novels (one published, one in the editting stages and one in the rough draft stage). I would never have gotten there if it were not for four very important things - in no particular order: Book-in-a-Week (BIC HOK TAM!!!), National Novel Writing Month, the Callaway County Writers Group, and my friend Lynn. BIW is the only thing that keeps me writing throughout the year. I have to admit - this week, I am knocking myself out (in spite of the 15" snow, a broken toe, and two holiday parties, etc., etc.) to write every single day no matter how tired I am when I finally get to sit down to the keyboard. Actually - that last phrase is pretty telling. Read it again. When I "get" to sit down to the keyboard. Writing is freeing. It is my escape from the yucky, nasty, messy world that we live in. And this month, I want to win. Or at least place in the top 10. It's a competitive yet supportive group. I push myself because I know others are pushing themselves. And several BIW'ers are successful writers, so I feel I they are worth emulating. That's where my friend Lynn comes in. She is my whip this week - checking up on me every day to make sure that I'm doing my part. And then there's NaNo. All three of my completed novels started as NaNo novels (by the way, our little region came in 7th in the averaged production per writer list!! Kudos to us!!). And that's how I got hooked up with my writers' group. I really like these people, and even though I only see them occasionally, we share a unique bond. I joined up as a Nano'er and stuck with them throughout the year. It is well worth it to have a face-to-face meeting with other writers. We are a lot different than any other. By our very nature, many of us have tendencies towards introversion. This gives us a chance to talk to others that understand our hopes, our fears, our dreams, our frustrations.
I encourage you to give serious thought to what inspires you. Do not wait for inspiration to hit. It doesn't knock on your door and ask if now is a convenient time. Surround yourself with inspiration. Think about what fires you up and makes you productive. It may be something like a support group, or it may be something completely different, such as having a ritual before you begin writing. Once you find something that inspires you, incorporate it into your life, and start making your dreams become realities, bit by bit.
Lori,
You continue to be a PRIME example of self-discipline, personal accountability, and sheer effort. I admire you for so many reasons, but this time of year I am truly in AWE of your talents! Rock on, girlfriend!
Lynn
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