What inspires you?

I just came back from a long weekend in the Rockies and the majestic views, not to mention the lovely weather were very inspiring. Luckily when I returned to Kansas we experienced some of the same cool nights and moderate days as I enjoyed in Colorado. 

I did some writing while I was there, and yesterday I sat on the deck pouring the words on the page for several hours. At least until it got too warm and hungry. When contemplating this blog and what to write that other writers might enjoy or benefit from I asked myself, "What inspires my writing?"

Nature is a big inspiration to me. When I've spent time outside and focused on the rocks, trees, birds and bees I am inspired to describe it on the page. Sharing a sense of place makes the reading (and writing) experience much more enjoyable, it opens the door to the story. By setting the stage so the reader can be there for awhile, the story can come to life.

Music often inspires me. It ignites my imagination and teases my ears and mind into hearing and seeing color and light, and of the sense of movement. Many films have glorious sound tracks that move the story deep into your bones.  Making your story audible for readers is great. If they can hear what your characters say or hear, then it's like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation or being in the proximity of the action of the story.

People inspire me, too. Humans are so interesting. Everyone has a story. Everyone is unique in so many ways. Not just physically, but emotionally, too. Have you ever come across someone at Wal-Mart or Starbucks or Dillons that is just like the character in my story? I have and feel as though this is the person on the page. I'll watch them and catch special mannerisms or voice, their way of walking or dressing may be exactly like I envisioned in my head. 

A good book inspires me, too. If I feel what the character is feeling, see where they are, smell it, taste it and hear it - then the author has written well. Reading a story that moves me and is real makes me want to be a better writer. I learn from the books I read, both good things and bad, but mostly good. I've heard over the years that there are no new stories, just new ways of telling them. That's probably true - the trick is for the reader to experience the story - not just read the words, and it can be kind of tricky!

So, be aware of what is around you - let your muse tune in with you - and write what is in your heart. 
Enjoy the journey, my writing friends.

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Bonnie Tharp’s novel, Feisty Family Values was published by Five Star Publishing in hardback and released in February 2010. Patchwork Family was released in paperback by Bell Books Publishing in March of 2014. You can find out more about Bonnie & her books at http://bdtharp.com.

Feeding the Muse

On any given day online, there are hundreds of posts, tweets and blogs about the art of marketing your writing. And it seems to me they all reach one conclusion: No one knows what, or even if,anything works.

So if all the hours of promotion have questionable results, what's a writer to do? I beleive that the only thing we can do is to capitalize on the core of success: writing a wonderful story. If that's correct, then the building of a writer's creativity becomes critical.

And yes, I believe creativity can be nurtured.

Below are my suggestions. Some I've tried, some are still on my writer's bucket list.

* Take one session of acting classes a year. It'll teach you the basics of that art and give you insight into your own character portrayal.

* Take one session of visual art classes a year, i.e.: painting, drawing, sculpting etc. Concentrate on the act of creating and how it transfers to writing.
* If you can afford it, pay a counselor or therapist for a series of six sessions, once a month for six months. Your goal is to get help in accessing your buried uniqueness that is uninfluenced by media and curltural expectations.
* Pledge to yourself to have a weekly art date, time alone to experience something new and different. (This is from Julia Cameron) Use your insights for writing.
* One week a year, do your own writer's retreat. Not a conference with networking and seminars. And not a week long get-away where you finish up that novel that's on a tight deadline. What I mean is to retreat from the world and renew. Go to someplace where you are ALONE and you actually use the time to let your mind to explore and foster your creativity. (Did you know there are monasteries that offer this for a very reasonable price? Search online to find one in your area.)
* Learn to meditate and practice it daily. Yoga teaches meditation techniques. Transcendental meditation is good. That quiet time is like letting the well fill from a silent, underground stream.

Who knows what masterpiece will emerge?