It took me way long enough to figure out what I wanted to write for my From The Trenches post. I finally decided to talk about something that's been on my mind for a while now.
Inspiration.
There's inspiration in every kind of art. Writing is an art, just the same as painting, filming, or dancing. To create, you must first be inspired. But I've noticed inspiration can be hard to come by, when you're looking for it, and it often pops up at the most unlikely times, and in the most unlikely places.
Personally, my inspiration is often affected directly by my life and what I'm doing/feeling. If I'm stressed out or angry or letting life get me down, my inspiration level will be -- you guessed it! -- on the low side. Sometimes even nonexistent. And it pretty much sucks; especially when you're just dying to write!
I think it's important to remember to kick back, relax and try to detangle yourself from the stress of life. Inspiration is fed, so read good books, watch good movies, listen to music, and maybe even go outside and get some exercise. It works for me. Especially movies and music!
Today in the comments: What keeps you inspired? Where do you turn to find fresh inspiration? Has life/circumstances/something else ever been in the way of inspiration before? What did you do to fix it?
Here's to hoping you have LOTS of inspiration soon! That is, if you need it. If you're revising or something, then here is to MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE!
I'll leave you with a quote.
"The power of imagination makes us infinite!" -- John Muir
My favorite part of this post is how the URL says "from-trenches-lizzy-on-feeding." And I'm totally imagining you giving a lecture on barn chores, and the most efficient way to give the horses+cows+chickens their food.
ReplyDeleteUm.
*focuses*
I get inspiration by living life. If you're always doing something, you're always thinking about something, and that means you're always open to inspiration. I have no shortage of ideas, which is annoying, because some have to fall by the wayside.
<3
I don't lose inspiration when I'm angry/depressed. In fact, my last story idea came from my building annoyance with life/family/etc.
ReplyDeleteBut usually, my inspiration just comes from... the world. It will come from movies, frequently.. Sometimes books, but especially movies(/tv shows). Oh! I listen to Radio Lab (by NPR), just because I get a story idea with almost every single podcast. A lot of them are psychology-sort of things. I love psychology; it's a definite go-to if I need inspiration.
I used to never have ideas or inspiration, even though I would spend hours and hours thinking. About everything. Since my first participation in NaNoWriMo 2010, though, I've found myself being inspired by most everything. The only things that really stop me are 1) schoolwork, and 2) sleep deprivation. Weekends are my temporary cure.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest thing that I've been inspired by was my uncle. We're only about six years apart in age, and sometimes he stays the night. Once, I stayed up all night just talking with him in the kitchen, and spent an hour helping him wash his hands [he is a severe germaphobe], and BAM. Plot idea. It was wonderful. (:
Inspiration is in everything, it's crazy! Movies inspire me, music inspires me, images inspire me, just plain emotions inspire me. My nose was bleeding once(it happens a lot), and the simple image of this blood on my hand, seeping into the lines in a random pattern gave me the best scene for my book. The blood became from a mortal wound, and the character was looking at possibly the last moments of their life, seeping into the cracks and lines in their hand. It was so epic, I felt the shock, the disbelief, the stillness. Dude, I wish that happened every day!
ReplyDeleteNow that I sound like a crazy person, alas, it doesn't. Well, it does occur often enough, but not in such an epic way(read: with blood. jk. =P). Those are reserved for especial occasions. ^_~*
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