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What Inspires You?


Lots of things can inspire us to write--ranging from the obvious to the unexpected. I've been inspired by books, movies, and stories of real people's lives. I've been inspired by objects, nature, and photographs. I've even drawn the inspiration for an entire scene from a single word.


When I'm stuck and the words won't flow, looking at a picture similar to what I see in my head can get me going again--especially if I'm describing setting.


When I find myself getting into ruts with my sentence structure, taking a break to read for pleasure or browsing through some randomly-generated sentences can get me thinking outside the box again. Sometimes, I'm just plain exhausted and need to take a break. In that case, I either read or sleep.


That's what inspires me. What inspires you?



(The photos in this post were purchased from Fotolia.com and are royalty-free.)

Comments

  1. You picked some awesome photos for inspiration. Photos are hugely inspiring for me as is life in general :)

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    1. I'm visual person, so they are for me, too. Thanks for visiting, Linda. :)

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  2. I love the bench, especially. Very lonely, and very inspiring.

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    1. I agree. That's what drew me to it when I was searching Fotolia. :)

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  3. Pretty much anything inspires me - I'm convinced that I'm surrounded by a million and one stories and all I have to do is decide which one to tell. :-) However, like you, I am a very visual person. Photographs of people and places usually do the trick.

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    1. I'm not surprised, CB. Your sensitivity to things and your varied experiences show in your writing. ;)

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  4. Lovely post. Inspiration can be so random for me. Images, a spoken phrase here and there, a phrase from a book or song. There is so much out there. Thank you for the beautiful pictures this morning:)

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    1. You're welcome! Don't laugh, but I got the idea for the opening scene of a romantic suspense from a silly wedding video on AFV. (America's Funniest Home Videos) I was folding clothes and half watching TV with my daughter over my shoulder. I ran to my laptop and typed my epiphany, thinking, 'That could be my next book!' :) Of course, I'll have to figure out the rest of the plot, but at least I nailed the opening scene. hahaha

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  5. Hmmmm... I've actually never thought about what inspires me before. <---I know, weird!!!! I guess I just love words... I love piecing them together and creating a mood. I think it's the process itself that's inspiring to me. Oh! I guess music is inspiring too... :D

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    1. Good! Maybe you can give me some suggestions for instrumental music to write to. (Okay. I know I ended that sentence with a preposition - so sue me. = P)

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  6. Gorgeous photos! :D Somehow, I think the Random Sentence Generator knows I write paranormal...

    This is what I got. LOL

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    1. Hahaha. That random sentence generator is a hoot! It comes up with some strange stuff at times. :)

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  7. Random pictures definitely inspire me - usually to something new, rather than whatever I'm stuck on :-)

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    1. Well. If I got you unstuck, then you're welcome. If I sent you on a bunny trail and distracted you from your WIP, then I apologize. :P Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  8. I've thought about this a lot these past few days and at first I'd say my childhood and upbringing inspires me. Then the world all around, what I hear, see, do, feel... and then I realize the most obvious answer is INSECTS! (:

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    1. ROFL!!! I was reading your comment all serious, and then I got to THAT. Thanks. I needed a laugh today. :D

      I should introduce you to my 10th grade biology teacher, Ms. McKecknie. She collected them and made us collect them, too. UGH! She finally let us slide on the assignment when she realized most of us had found only a fraction of the bugs on the list.

      Bugs...hmmm. Now if you start talking viruses and bacteria, you'll have my undivided attention. SPYROCHETE! hahaha :P

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  9. I'm a visual learner, so pictures and movies feed my creative brain. Like you, images help a lot, particularly when writing descriptions. I have to see it to write it. I'm a bad faker. :)

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  10. Beautiful places and good music! I actually posted on this topic a few days ago. Found some new shots of my favorite places and immediately wanted to work!

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    1. Music. I hear a lot of writer say they have song lists for their MSs. Writing to music is something I want to try, but it will have to be sans lyrics. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  11. Those photos are certainly inspiring! I find going for a walk while I think through my story helps a lot.

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  12. Listening to Interpol usually puts me in the mood to write. Can't explain it. Just know it works. I also keep pictures of my characters (from stock photography - Corbis.com rocks!) nearby. Sometimes, gazing at my character helps me get into their heads whenever they're giving me the silent treatment.

    Love your pics! So beautiful.

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    1. Thanks! Interpol. I'll have to check it out. Corbis.com, too. Right now, I'm using Fotolia. I like it because it has better search options than most. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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