Searching for Inspiration

It’s been an amazing albeit exhausting two weeks.  I’ve been going non-stop and the funny thing about editing is how your brain decides it wants to write new stuff too.  Sometimes you need to search our inspiration.  But for the last two weeks, I’ve been bombarded with inspiration.

1. Hurricane Sandy–The photos from the internet (not the hoax ones) but the really ones each tell a story.  Ok, so even the hoax ones do too.  There was a photos of the Statue of Libery with a huge wave behind that many people later said came out of the movie The Day After Tomorrow.  I rethought it and agreed.  I’ve seen the movie.

2.  My cats Bella and Buffy and my dog Pete decided to do the cutest things, really children’s book material.  Bella, in particular was so upset by the storm that she hopped onto the sofa and sat in the left corner curled up.  When she first came to my house as a kitten, that was her first “spot” to sit in.  That was her refuge spot when she was scared.

3. Now there’s inspiration and then there’s just plain distraction.  I thought when I got my power back I would just hop over to Facebook and see what’s happening.  Some people felt obliged to raise the spirits of others.  Bless their hearts.  A romance author who will be nameless but she always makes me smile has been sharing this bit of inspiration around with some other authors.  All I could say was, “Oh, my!”

Yes, definitely, oh my!   Now where was I?  Susan, you need to focus!  LOL

4.  When I was too tired to edit anymore by flashlight, I resorted to my TO READ pile.  On top was Stardust by Neil Gaiman.  I loved the movie.  I’m already loving the book, but I’m reading it in increments when I’m too tired to edit.  I find the book very inspiring.

5. When I go to a con, it sticks with me for a while.  I use this old trick where I keep one small bag from the con packed.  I wait a week or two or three and then unpack it. It’s like giving myself a present.  In this case, it was my notebook with notes on different panels, not only what I said, but what I learned.  I learned about an early fiction called Varney the Vampire and decided to seek it out.  It’s more than worth it.  Right now I’m reading it for free at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/PreVar1.html

But if I keep loving it, I will mostly buy a copy for my collection.  http://www.amazon.com/Varney-Vampire-The-Feast-Blood/dp/0979587158

This copy is for sale by Amazon.

At Albacon, I also learned the next book in the Vampires of New England by Inanna Arthen will be coming out soon.  I don’t know about you, but I’m inspired to make out my wish list.

6. Dreams.  I write what I dream.

-I have to tell you, it is tough to edit when inspiration is coming at you from all sides.  Editing is the other half of writing.  What I have noticed is language and the joy in lingering over the words so the readers gets the full experience.  It’s back to editing I go, but when I turn in my next set of edits to my editor, I will be leaping on several notebooks to write as fast as I can the tales born of the most recent inspiration.

If you have a way to become or find inspiration, please, share it with us in the comment box below.

Hugs and continue to be safe.  There are still street lights out, people out of power, and trouble with electice lines.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Filed under: Characters, Emotions, Inanna Arthen, romance, Susan Hanniford Crowley, vampire books, vampires, What A Writer Needs, Writer's Life, Writing Topics