Have you ever had something that you just loved? Did you jump into the Harry Potter bandwagon? You knew all the spells, watched the interviews, and knew what they bought with their money? What about Lord of the Rings? How about Star Trek or Star Wars?
Recently, I have become a fangirl over the new Avatar series Legend of Korra and been reintroduced to my love for Harry Potter. And I find that when I have something that I really enjoy, really get excited about, I feel more inspired. After watching the episodes or the movies, I get an itching to write. I want to be able to create a world, story, and characters like I am watching. It is amazing how being a super fan (aka a proud dork) over something can light up some amazing fire and inspiration.
It makes me remember that I started writing when I was moved by the anime I was watching. Just wanted to make stories and worlds like that. Though in all honesty, I wanted to join in on those worlds. It brought me into fanfiction and got me to writing.
These are inspiring folk who do something outside of novel-writing (like Avatar) and/or reached past the art of writing and brought characters to the silver screen (like Rowling). Just watching what they are able to do gives me hope and drive to try and reach for that level as well.
Is there something that you have been a fan of that really inspired you to pick up the pen or go to your computer and start writing?
Quick shout-out to my friend Randi Lee! Once again, she gave me a wonderful shout-out and I can't thank her enough for it. I feel like she gives me far too much credit. Thank you Randi for your kind words!
--
Weekly Workshop
A Place No Longer There
You need to write about a place that is no longer in existence. Did it get wiped out from a flood? A volcano? Zombies? It doesn't matter how it was destroyed, only that you need to write about it without saying straight-forward how it met its end. You need to tell a story about the place itself while alluding to its demise. It can be a real place from your memory, like a school that was torn down, or it could be fake, like a city that was eaten by a swarm of bugs.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The Sunshine Award
My very first award here! I can't thank Randi Lee enough for her kindness in giving this to me. In truth, words are failing me a bit in just how much this means.
Never receiving something like this before, I will just be winging it a bit. Once the award is received, you have to put the picture above into a post and link back to the person who is giving the award to you (thanks again Randi!) You have to then answer ten questions or post seven random facts about yourself. After which, gotta spread the award along to 10 more bloggers!
Well, no promises that ten can be reached, but I will certainly aim for that!
Seven Random Facts
1) I have a bad addiction to journals, books, and school supplies. My closet is filled with untouched journals, I have no room for the books I have, and don't ever seem to put all my supplies to good use. But they are so wonderful I couldn't possibly part from any of them.
2) Polka-dots are my favorite pattern. I have clothes, bags, quilts, and a piggy-banks with polka-dots on them.
3) I am hyper organized and can fret if I can't organize things to my liking.
4) If I don't get to work-out more than four times a week I start to get stressed. Working out seems to be the best way for me to vent out any frustration and without it I start to get ready to pull my hair out and cry.
5) I have had a fan-crush on the same anime character for over ten years.
6) I am twenty-three yet have never had, nor wanted, to drink liquor.
7) Still have not read the last Harry Potter book
And the award goes to...
Well I haven't made my way through a lot of blogs just yet. But the ones to receive this award are those who are providing very inspirational, enjoyable, advice-filled blogs that truly deserve as many awards as possible.
J.W. Alden
Diana Carlisle
Ivy Lee
Thank you so much again Randi for this. This truly means a lot to me :) thank you.
Dreaming the Written Word
It never ceases to amaze me where inspiration for stories can come from.
Within one of my first semesters at my university, I came up with a story in my head by just looking at the spiral patterns on the tile floor. A story was there, literally, on the floor. A vampire's face was in a woman's neck and they were in Victorian style clothing, and slowly the story came to me. Though I should've paid more attention to the class, I just couldn't help but stare at this image and get a story rolling in my head.
My good friend Randi Lee has been inspired by a coffee-table. She said to me, "I was bored and observing my aunt's coffee table. There were knicks and coffee stains all over it. So I sat there and pondered how each of those stains and scratches came to be. I weaved a story about the people who used the table and what they might have used it for." Randi even made a poem of it that is simply amazing.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. And you shouldn't ever shrug off an idea just because it comes from a very unusual place. And sometimes you just gotta get out there and simply (be creepy) and stare. Does that chewed up piece of gum look like a deformed face of George Washington and now you have a zombie apocalypse novel? Write it! Did you come up with the back story of a model on a billboard? Write it! Miss-read a word and misinterpreted what was said? Write it!
Sometimes the most fascinating stories can come from the most boring objects. And sometimes it really shows a great amount of creativity.
And yet, sometimes they come from other places as well. I'm thinking of dreams. Dreams can be such a place for inspiration if you can remember what happened of course. They can be the most random, nonsensical images one can possibly imagine. Sometimes it doesn't even seem like there is a story there amongst the madness. But there is.
Maybe it is just a small scene within the dream, or a character, or a place. But there is something there that can really inspire you for something awesome. Recently I got a whole new fantasy series from a dream. It was such an experience to actually be part of the story before even writing it.
It was madness, but by searching through that madness and digging up the story I found something wonderful that can be polished into something grand. The work just comes from grasping on to the story and buckling down and writing it.
So don't be weary of awkward places of inspiration. Sometimes the adventure comes from finding the inspiration and not the writing itself.
What are your most random, interesting, adventurous objects that have inspired you to write?
--
Weekly Workshop
Workshop: The Secret (prt. 2)
This week is another secret. But instead of your main character keeping a secret from (only) you, there is another character keeping a secret from your main character. Search through your characters and have one have a discussion with your main character. Let them reveal a secret about themselves that the Main-Char and, perhaps, even yourself didn't know. Like before, this can be a very simple secret to something life-changing.
Write out their scene, the secret, and the response. See what your character would feel and how they would respond to such a thing. Through this you will go even deeper into your character's personality or perhaps solidify your original idea about them.
Within one of my first semesters at my university, I came up with a story in my head by just looking at the spiral patterns on the tile floor. A story was there, literally, on the floor. A vampire's face was in a woman's neck and they were in Victorian style clothing, and slowly the story came to me. Though I should've paid more attention to the class, I just couldn't help but stare at this image and get a story rolling in my head.
My good friend Randi Lee has been inspired by a coffee-table. She said to me, "I was bored and observing my aunt's coffee table. There were knicks and coffee stains all over it. So I sat there and pondered how each of those stains and scratches came to be. I weaved a story about the people who used the table and what they might have used it for." Randi even made a poem of it that is simply amazing.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. And you shouldn't ever shrug off an idea just because it comes from a very unusual place. And sometimes you just gotta get out there and simply (be creepy) and stare. Does that chewed up piece of gum look like a deformed face of George Washington and now you have a zombie apocalypse novel? Write it! Did you come up with the back story of a model on a billboard? Write it! Miss-read a word and misinterpreted what was said? Write it!
Sometimes the most fascinating stories can come from the most boring objects. And sometimes it really shows a great amount of creativity.
And yet, sometimes they come from other places as well. I'm thinking of dreams. Dreams can be such a place for inspiration if you can remember what happened of course. They can be the most random, nonsensical images one can possibly imagine. Sometimes it doesn't even seem like there is a story there amongst the madness. But there is.
Maybe it is just a small scene within the dream, or a character, or a place. But there is something there that can really inspire you for something awesome. Recently I got a whole new fantasy series from a dream. It was such an experience to actually be part of the story before even writing it.
It was madness, but by searching through that madness and digging up the story I found something wonderful that can be polished into something grand. The work just comes from grasping on to the story and buckling down and writing it.
So don't be weary of awkward places of inspiration. Sometimes the adventure comes from finding the inspiration and not the writing itself.
What are your most random, interesting, adventurous objects that have inspired you to write?
--
Weekly Workshop
Workshop: The Secret (prt. 2)
This week is another secret. But instead of your main character keeping a secret from (only) you, there is another character keeping a secret from your main character. Search through your characters and have one have a discussion with your main character. Let them reveal a secret about themselves that the Main-Char and, perhaps, even yourself didn't know. Like before, this can be a very simple secret to something life-changing.
Write out their scene, the secret, and the response. See what your character would feel and how they would respond to such a thing. Through this you will go even deeper into your character's personality or perhaps solidify your original idea about them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)