Inspiration - that fickle sentiment
Hello, great people!
It's been a while now that we speak about the really important things.
Today, I thought I should write about that fickle sentiment we get day in, day
out - if you're one of the lucky ones, that is.
INSPIRATION
Ok, let's start with the basics. The Webster defines Inspiration in Three different
stages:
- Something that makes someone want to do something
or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create: a force or
influence that inspires someone
- A person, place, experience, etc., that makes
someone want to do or create something
- A good idea
My personal favourite is number 1. Inspiration is
nothing more than that big urge you get from time to me to create. It's a force
that compels you to write down your thoughts and your weird dreams.
If you speak to anyone in your group of friends, or
any family member, who doesn't do creative writing, they'll (pretty much all of
them) tell you that writing is mostly about having a good imagination, being
inspired and having the time to sit and right.
Now, I'll tell you that's not exactly
true!
Sure, writing is (mostly) about having a good
imagination. But, let's face it, a five year old has an incredible imagination,
but that doesn't make him/her a writer. Now, I'm not going to tell you what
makes a writer is just having the need and the passion for writing.
Being a writer takes a lot of time and dedication;
basically, you really have to work on your imagination.
Yes, there's no shortcut to becoming a writer; you
really have to sit down, get those words down and work work work!
You will find yourself spending many hours just
sitting at your desk and trying to write that 1st pitch, that 1st sentence
that'll grab your readers' attention. Don't panic; the hardest part is to
start. I find it really hard to write the first couple of paragraphs, they
always seem forced to me, wishy-washy. Remember, you can always go
back to the beginning and change it. Hell, when you're writing, you can start
from the end scene if you want! I know many successful writers who write by
scenes, not from the beginning to the end, in a tidy order.
If you have a rush of ideas about a very important
part of your book, even if that's one of the final scenes and you just wrote
the 1st chapter, just write it down! DO IT!
Always scares the crap out of me...
Where to start?
Anywhere you want. Me, personally, I like to outline my characters and the places the story will be happening. If you're writing a romance novel taking place in the present day Los Angeles, you'll need to know the basics about the city, the country, the people. Maybe you'll have to learn more about the way people speak, where they like to meet and what they usually eat.
If you're writing a sci-fi book about an alien race, you'll have to work extremely hard to get to know your race. What do they do in their free time? Do they listen to music? What do they eat?
(Well, coming to think of it, you'll have to think of your characters as an alien race, in every single genre of book you write)
Getting stuck
It's ok to get stuck sometimes, whether it's writer's block, lack of fresh ideas or you're simply getting sick of your own story, sometimes it's good to start something completely new, different, and put your old work on hold. I honestly do it many times - maybe too much, sometimes. But it's ok, everyone has their own rhythm, and everyone of us can and ill change our minds about our work, about our beliefs and the things we love.
Bottom line
Writing isn't easy, but none of us chose to do it because of that. We write because it makes us feel complete, alive, happy, accomplished. Just keep on writing, good or bad, big or small, and if/when someone gives you sh*t about it, just show them this:
(It's funny because it's true...)
HAPPY READINGS!
Sophie
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