“EUREKA!”

                                                                    

                                      Finding Inspiration & Keeping It

I don’t know about you but inspiration when writing is everything.  It is essential to do what you do best.  I have days when my brain resembles a dried-up prune.  I look to inspiration from many things, romantic movies, music, books, scenery, people watching etc. I especially like eaves-dropping on conversations.  Before you judge me, let me explain.

  I listen for the different dialects, and inflections.  I’m from the south and therefore have plenty to choose from.  I like listening to people while they express emotions, happy and sad stories.  Some of my best material has come from the passion that came from these things.

 Just the other day, one of my co-workers and I were talking about idioms.  Her father, used an arsenal of them, one in which was, “life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer it gets to the end the faster it goes.”  

I thought, wow, how truthful that statement was, and inspired me to use it in my blog.  I’m often amazed by ordinary things that inspire me every day.  Simplicity is frequently overlooked, but most people think surely it couldn’t be that simple.  

I’ve mentioned a few ways to seek inspiration but I went a step further and consulted Google who compiled a list of 31 ways, some of which I already mentioned. Leo Babauta is the author of Finding 31 Ways to Find Inspiration For Your Writing. Without further ado, here they are.

1. Blogs.
2. Books.
3. Overheard dialog.
4. Magazines.
5. Movies.
6. Forums.
7. Art.
8. Music.
9. Friends.
10. Writing groups.
11. The Book of Inspiration.
A free downloadable book.

 12. Quotes.
Try these for a start: Writing Quotes and Quotes for Writers.

13. Nature.
14. History.
15. Travel.
16. Children.
17. Exercise.
18. Religion.
19. Newspapers.
20. Dreams.
21. Writing journal.
22. Del.icio.us.
This popular bookmarking site is a treasure trove of great articles and blog posts and resources.

23. Poetry.
24. Shakespeare.
25. Google.
26. Freewriting.
27. Brainstorms.
28. Flickr.
29. Breaking your routines.
30. Success stories.
31. People watching.
            I hope you’ll find many of these amazing ways to stay inspired.  Remember, inspiration increases creativity.  So, once you’ve found your source of inspiration, do one or all of these things to keep it.

Happy Writing.