Friday, August 19, 2011

Where does inspiration come from?

It's Friday so it's time for the weekly installment of the YA Indie Carnival! So grab some kettle corn and wander through the blog posts from some awesome authors.

Today's topic is inspired. Or rather, what inspires me.

I suppose everyone is looking for That Thing that will click, to help them write the book they've always wanted to. Stephen King's On Writing has some great insight on inspiration, so if you're a writer (or want to be), I highly recommend you read that book.

For me, I like people watching. I like to try and describe them in my mind using terms other than hair or eye color, just as a fun exercise. I pay attention to how they interact, how they respond, how they present themselves. Every person is a book in and of themselves, a lifelong story with moments worth cheering over and times that have brought them to their knees. 

So I like to make up their stories in my head while I watch them. People watching, to me, is like lying on your back in the grass, calling out shaped in the clouds. It's making much of the little you see, letting your creative soul run wild, and basking in childlike fun.

People inspire me. Because as much as we try to put them in a box, the wind will shift and suddenly, the cloud will morph into something we never expected.

Find out what the rest of the YA Indie Carnival participants have to say!

Danny Snell's Refracted Light Reviews
Patti Larsen
Laura Elliott
Courtney Cole
Wren Emerson
Nichole A. Williams
Fisher Amelie
Amy Maurer Jones
Rachel Coles. Geek Mom. Book Reviewer
T. R. Graves
P.J. Hoover
Heather Cashman



5 comments:

  1. I think that's true about people. And for me to read, I think character driven stories are the most powerful.

    Rachel Coles
    www.rachelcoles.wordpress.com

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  2. I love On Writing--you reminded me I need to read it again. The cool part about being a writer is how easy this happens--if the ideas come and you can't stop them, what's a girl to do?

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  3. Loved On Writing so much! People are inspiring- I just hope no you is making up stories about me like I am about them lol

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  4. People inspire me too:) That's why I love traveling so much. I used to love to ride the train and subway to work because the characters came to me:) Great post!

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  5. I loved the analogy you gave comparing people to clouds in the sky. What a perfect example of the challenge in unraveling the mysterious complexities of the human soul. :)

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