Inspire: to be the motivating but unnamed power behind…
Where does your inspiration come from?
This is one of the TEN TOP QUESTIONS fiction writers are asked by family, friends, acquaintances, media types and downright strangers on a plane. Some of the others include: ”Are you still writing? Do you know the people you write about? How much money do you make? Who are you favorite authors?”
Many of us develop stock answers so that we won’t fumble around in our heads for the answers when these questions come up. After all, we are paid to work in words, right? Who wants to read a writer who isn’t good at answering questions? I know for a fact the answer is plenty! Not every writer is a great speaker. Some are downright painful to listen to yet they create wonderful, intriguing, can’t-put-it-down stories. That’s because writers can take hours or days or weeks to form the perfect comeback their characters toss off in mid-scene. We are crafts persons whose medium is language. We toil. We seldom ad lib without going back over it, just to make certain. Good writers who are good speakers are fortunate.
But that’s not the topic today. It’s about that inspiration and how badly each and everyone of us needs it in our lives, no matter what we are doing. One great remedy for writers running low on inspiration is a writers’ conference. You need to do your homework, know who is speaking and what the topics are, but then I say sit in on as many workshops as possible. You never know who will prick your creativity. It might not be the headliner but a voice of wisdom for you and your work.
I’m going to suggest another author’s blog post not just because it is, in part, about me, but because she shows through her post how important attending writing conferences can be to a writer at any stage of her or his career. And, it inspires speakers to do their best and try hard to offer something that will allow them, too, to sometimes become the unnamed power behind.
cpwritergirl: #mce_temp_url#
Enjoy!
November 20th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Nice post that writer did about you, Laura, and the praise is well-deserved. You have always been a wonderful supporter of your fellow writers.
November 21st, 2009 at 10:12 am
Nice blog, and nice things said about you from cpwritegirl, all true!
February 4th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Very informative article. I’ve found your site via Google and I’m really glad about the information you provide in your posts. Btw your sites layout is really broken on the Kmelon browser. Would be cool if you could fix that. Anyhow keep up the good work!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Thanks for your response. I hope you will continue to read my blog. And check out the older entries, particularly if you’re interested in writing.
I’m not familiar with the Kmelon browser. I’ll ask my web master about it. We get a few glitches from time to time