Inspiration

Inspiration.

Where do you get yours?  I get mine in several different places or in several different ways.

I listen a lot to what is going on around me. i listen to what people say and do. One simple little line could spark the inspiration for a chapter or one of the adventures that my characters go thru. If you hear something funny, something sad, or someone telling a friend about a happy or sad event, listen to what is being said. Take notes, write down what they say, write down their emotions, facial expressions and just what ever gets your attention. Write down what ever you hear, you may never know when you may want to use something. I carry around a small note book that fits into my bag and write down things. I get stuck, I get a block, or i just need an idea, I pull out the book and go thru it. You will be amazed by what you can come up with.

I also reach back into my memories. Sit and think for a while about some of your memories from childhood and thru the teen years. Don't stop there, keep thing about all the things that have happened to you during your life. Think about what your siblings have experienced. You don't have to remember the entire even, just the key points.

You can take those key points and put your own twist on it. Case point. My sister believed that our grandmother's ghosts lived with her for several years. She thought this because she had issues with the water in her toilets running. My grandmother passed away on a bus trip with my sister. She had asked my sister to get her a drink of water, but because they were on a bus, my sister could not get her the drink. At one point during the trip, my sister got up to use the bathroom that was on the bus. When she returned to her seat, my grandmother was asleep. It was not until they reached their destination that it was discovered my grandmother had passes. My sister linked the bathroom, the water and my grandmother and came up with the idea that she was being haunted.

I used this event in my book. Alison has a crazy sister, Carley, the toilets in her house run, Carley believes that it is their grandmother. However, i changed it up a little. Their grandmother loved fountains, and it was revealed in the book that she had them everywhere. Carley has linked their grandmothers fountains to the running toilets in her house.

Music...I love music. I use it as a tool as well. i have several different people and groups that I like. I like several different types of music. Depending on what I am writing will depend on what type of music I listen to. One of my favorite things to write is about the relationship and connection that Jack and Alison have. They both deeply love each other and would do anything for the other one. To get me in to the mood to write those scenes, i listen to John Barrowman. I love the way that he is able to bring the story of the song to life. You can not just hear the passion, but you can feel it as well. I pull those emotions and put them into Jack and Alison. I think that is works well for me, and what a voice.

Lastly, the inspiration for the characters. Look around you, look at your co-workers, your friends, your family. The inspiration is all around you. There is a little piece of me in each of my characters. There are bits of friends, and family in my characters as well. I use both the good and the bad.

Write what you know, after all there could be a story in there somewhere.

Happy Writing
Barbara