Inspiration!

As an author, I am often asked, "What inspires you to write?" The answer to that is both simple and complex. I am motivated by many things. It could be something as small as an insect crawling on the ground, a cloud formation, or an emotion that was aroused within me.

As many of you may know, the PRINCESS KANDAKE series was inspired by my granddaughter. She wanted to be a princess and because I really have no tolerance for the messages of the typical princess stories, I felt compelled to create a a totally different kind of princess. A story where the people are not surprised by the strength of her character or her determination and independence. But this is a post about inspiration, let me get back to that.

I recently watched a movie on television called The Magic of Belle Isle. I highly recommend it. The plot was fairly straightforward and well-acted about a struggling author and recently divorced mom. It was beautiful! It called to the story within me! It begged for me to write.

There have been many movies, books, or situations that have had this effect upon me. I am not sure how to explain it other than to say that something awakens within me and a story is born. It's like a feeling of the fantastic, a yearning that must be expressed, the groaning of something yet to be given birth. In simpler terms, my creativity has been quickened and I must write, yet again.

The story I develop must be one that has appeal for my audience: action, struggles, light romance. This is not an easy thing to do. In everything I write, I must consider the age of my audience, being careful not to take them any farther than they are truly ready to go. And because my readers are savvy, intelligent beings, I include a tiny bit of life's wisdom for them to chew on. I add something they can take away from the story that they can apply to their lives. This is regardless of whether the tale takes place in modern day, the ancient past, or far in the future. Honestly, sometimes that bit of wisdom is what can inspire a story.

So now I am writing a story about one of the characters in my PRINCESS KANDAKE series. I am not quite sure where it is leading, but I will follow wherever the character takes me and tell the story he lays before me. But I will tell you a tiny secret...the inspiration for this story is supporting others while building a life of your own and what that looks like when romance enters the picture.

Important Lessons

As you all already know, we lost one of the greats, Ray Bradbury. Blogs, Facebook status updates, and YouTube videos were flooded with words and video shorts about the man or his writing.

I received an email from a writer friend, Maria Cisneros Toth, containing a link to one of his lectures. Man, I wish I had been on the campus of that university to participate.

Mr. Bradbury spoke of his beginnings, of how he ‘stumbled’ into getting published, and how his inspirations came to him. The humility of this man was beyond compare.

He encouraged every writer in that room and all of those writers who have and will view this video. He spoke about the necessity of reading. He said that every writer must read, but he gave us specifics on what to read. He said that every day a writer must read a poem, a short story, and an essay. Then he gave the instruction to write and for that writing to be any good, it had to be something that we love.

He inspired me beyond anything I can tell you. I plan to watch that video several more times because I know there is more information and encouragement to gain with each viewing.

Thank you Mr. Bradbury and thank you Maria for sending me the link.