You’re the Inspiration

I kind of wish I used song titles or lyrics for every day’s title now, would have made coming up with something a lot easier I’m sure. Maybe that’s the challenge I’ll give myself in May -- an iPod song title shuffle and then I must write a story to accompany the first thirty that come up. Sounds interesting. But as usual not what today’s request is. Sorry about that, but you all know how my brain works by now and this blog isn’t called Random Lunacy for nothing. So today’s really is…

A picture of someone who inspires you.

Oh man, now that’s tough which is probably why I was putting it off up there. Anyone can be inspiring to me, everyone I know personally and even the people I pass on the street or read about in a news article have the opportunity to inspire.

And what is inspiration anyway but a muse right? Your favorite band may inspire you to pick up a guitar and start playing at age eight, an author might inspire someone to write their first book at age seventy two, an incredibly caring staff may inspire a career shift into a new field. There are a million and one ways a person can be inspired.

So I suppose the first question to break down today’s request is -- in what way do I want to talk about being inspired? Financially, physically, career wise, spiritually, in personality, etc?

The first thing that really comes to mind, backing up a little bit, is that when I feel inspired to paint or create art in that manner it generally isn’t a someone but a something that provides inspiration -- warm weather, sunshine, lots of fresh air and blue skies. So you can imagine how lacking I am in the winter here huh? But when I write I need a few different types of inspiration.

And I don’t mean when I just write a blog post (although if its creative non-fiction I do need a modicum of inspiration in order to reign it in story wise, much the complete opposite of this post for example)

First, I really need a female main character (FMC). Because I write sappy-pappy-happy chicky novels my main character is always going to be a woman. I’ve tried to write from a guy’s perspective before and considering I have so many “dude” like qualities you’d think it would be easy for me but it’s not so I stick to gals. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes that FMC is loosely based on someone I know.

What do I mean by that? Are my friends or family going to read the character and say ‘Oh my goodness, I see myself in her!’? Well I sure as hell hope so because if they all see themselves in her then I’ve done my job connecting to the audience considering how different all of those people really are.

Anyway, for example maybe we’re out with Dianna having dinner or something and she says something particularly hilarious that I know I can either build an entire character off of or at least get a really good long scene from, I’m probably writing it down. But not just that line, the total package of the surroundings will be included, from the waitress/waiter to the look and feel of the restaurant, from the color of the napkins to the placement of the bar in the space, from the smells coming from the kitchen to the extraneous people at tables around us rambling on and at what decibel that chatter is permeating the place.

The inspiration came from one sentence but the total package is what will propel my fingers across a keyboard, trying to recreate and capture the magic of that singular moment in about 3000+ words.

After the FMC is decided upon I need a profession, a place for her to live, friends and family, relationship status, motherhood status, financial position, community involvement…you know, all the things that make you, well, you, I need to make her the “real” person she needs to become. That is all inspired by friends, family, people I pass on the street, people I see on television, etc.

People laugh at me when I say I sometimes watch shows like Jerry Springer but I’ll tell ya, tone down the subject matter and that show is teeming with fodder for good Chick-Lit conflict! You just never know where it will strike.

So I will conclude this morning by saying that because I feel inspiration exists anywhere and everywhere, my photo needs to truly reflect that sentiment.  Picture the someone as every single person on the planet.  Thanks earth dwellers!

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Catch up on anything you missed  30 Photos, 30 Days
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