Inspiration

When I was learning how to craft a story, instructors would always tell me to read, read and when you get tired of reading, read some more. They would always say, "The best way to learn how to write is to see how professionals do it."

I have read and read and read, and often I would find some inspiration from the written word. The writings of Pete Hautman and Sarah Weeks made me want to publish Young Adult novels. Yet, reading doesn't seem to push me to the keyboard. I have never read a wonderful scene and then raced to find a tablet of paper to jot down ideas for my own works.

Two things happen when I lay down to enjoy a good book. First, I am amazed and, more importantly, jealous by the writer's ability to developed three-dimensional characters, sneak future plot points into, at the time, seemingly unnecessary scenes, craft pinpoint dialogue and paint place or world in few words. There is nothing I hate more than authors that spend seven pages describing a farm house. When I read a wonderful book, I feel inadequate. "Is this what it takes?" to get on a book shelf," I wonder. "Am I capable of such brilliance?" I ask myself, not sure of the answer.

If I do follow reading time with writing time,  I find myself agonizing over each word. Nothing I write seems up to par. I may get some work done, but it won't be much.

The other situation: I get annoyed by weird sentence structure and changing point of views. The book's construction seems unsound and flimsy. I barely get through 30 pages. After reading a bad novel, writing seems pointless. Or worse, I start to question if I should even follow the rules, should I use proper grammar, or even worry about whether my story is tight and constructed properly. This mindset is the worst mindset to take to a keyboard.

So where do I get inspiration?

Three places:

First, from music. This is not a new one. Every writer I know listens to music when he or she writes. The head of my agency, Kristin Nelson, starts each blog with the song she's currently listening to. The pounding beat matched with the pounding keys keeps me focused and moving straight ahead. This works especially well on first drafts, when the goal is to build a solid foundation to edit later. As I listen to a playlist or CD, I will finish 10 to 15 pages - a good day's work.

Secondly, I get inspired by movies. Fine, I admit it. I want to write a book that will someday be made into a movie. Every time, I sit through a great movie, I race to the keyboard. Some of my best work has come after three hours in a movie theater. In the past month, I have watched "Argo," "Lincoln," and "Zero Down Thirty," all wonderful movies. During this time, I have gotten a lot of writing done and have been very pleased with what's on the page.

Finally, I love to write after listening to an audio book. With a 30-minute commute from home to work every day, I spend a lot of time in my black Ford Fusion. A few years ago, I started listening to books on the way home and back. Listening to the reader has helped me find my literary voice. Also, the weird writing styles are hidden. I don’t seem as inadequate or annoyed listening to a great story as I do reading a wonderful or poorly crafted novel.

I will still read, but, to me, there are many ways to find inspiration.

My books:
Biggie: submitted to publishers
Riddle Park: in revisions
Jumping off Bridges: Writing first draft: on page 132.