This week’s challenge comes from the very talented J.J. Devine:
What inspires you? Music? Reading? Movies? People in your life? Situations in life? What gets you motivated to sit down and write?
Yes to all of the above. It’s as if everything I see and hear and experience is filtered through words in my head. I will see people on the street and imagine what their life is like. I pass a house and wonder what goes on behind their closed doors. Music summons emotions that are translated into the written word. And bits and pieces of my life and situations find their way into my work.
One of my novels is especially personal since my heroine faces a situation I was in. She did what I did and we both succeeded. Some of my other works come more from my imagination, but that is fueled by real life.
Motivation? That comes from the attitude that writing is my job and I have to work at it all day, every day. Just because I don’t have to go somewhere else to work doesn’t make it less valuable. And as for having a boss…that would be the readers. If I don’t do a good job, they will fire me. So every book I write needs to better than the last one.
Coming soon:
Now let’s hop over and see where the wonderful Brenda Margriet finds inspiration….
http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog
I love that you consider your readers your “boss” – that will definitely keep you working hard! Great post, Leslie!
Great post! I agree about no matter where you work, it is still valuable.
I hadn’t ever tried to make up stories about what goes on behind closed doors on the neighbors houses. I might give it a try. Terrific post, Leslie.
I like how you pointless out that writing is your job. Sometimes writers forget that part and that’s when motivation leaves, at least for me.