So this is going to be a conglomeration of a couple posts because time is money people and Ariel needs more. Of both.
First of all I want to talk about inspiration. We all know there are things in life we have to do: force our rear out of bed in the morning; get to work on time (with venti coffee in hand); go to the post office to mail that birthday present that is a week late; feed the dog, etc. There are also those things we like to do: sit for four hours straight at Star to the Bucks and read fiction that does not involve Dora the Explorer or Elmo; get our hair did; or, if we’re lucky, make something crafty with a glue gun and sequins. Then there are those things we should do, which sometimes includes some of the above, but not always: eat 1200 calories a day; do yoga every morning to the soundtrack of birds chirping and a babbling brook; get 8 hours of sleep every night. Or even six.
Sometimes just getting out of bed is an accomplishment to be celebrated. Been there. But I wonder, with all of the busyness, all of the stress and demands that come with being a human being on this beautiful earth, how do you get inspired to do something for you? For my writer friends, how did you get inspired to write? I’ve heard so many stories of people stumbling into writing, completely blindsided and thrown into the process simply because of an idea that would not be quiet. And to kind of follow that, how did you get inspired to write a particular story of yours? We’ve all heard how J.K. Rowling got inspired to write Harry by a train that she was waiting on in London. What was the match that lit that spark inside of you?
Mine kind of leads me into my next topic, Stephenie Meyer. I cannot claim Steph as my inspiration for becoming a writer, but I can claim that without her my typing would’ve been kept within the confines of FaceBook statuses and emails. I won’t go into my whole back story with Twilight because I’ve already done it here, but I do have to say that it affected my life in more ways than becoming a big fan.
Before reading the series my reading habits were mainly centered around the classics, but I never took time out to actually read them much-not as much as I would’ve liked. And the Young Adult section? Psh! Hah! I never stopped at that section at Barnes and Noble because it was for teens and I was an adult. They wore mini skirts, flip-flops, and spaghetti strap tanks and I wore jeans, heels, and cardigans from The Gap. Adults didn’t venture into the Teen Section unless they were trapped in a four year time capsule of high school, still dressing in the same clothes (literally), still hanging out with the same people at the same places, and still TPing their old teachers’ houses. I may even admit to sticking my nose up slightly as I walked by the Young Adult section. I may have even flipped my hair.
But Steph made all of us stop mid-stride and examine ourselves as females. She captured that feeling that we all chased after as girls and then somehow left behind as women. She reminded us that we should never let go of that giddiness, that love of love, and, most importantly, our imaginations. Plus, she did it all on a total leap of faith, and with a kid on each hip. She committed herself to a dream and stuck it through, which has been a huge inspiration to this mom.
So hats off to you, Ms. Meyer, for dusting off the cobwebs and prying back open that door for all of us. Mine will never shut again, so help me.
Sorry, must interject the next paragraph: {Now I’ve read all of the complaints from critiques about Meyer not being a good writer, how her writing lacks depth, etttc. But as much as I agree with some of that, does anyone remember that she has sold over 300 million copies of her books? UM, HELLO (said Tyler Perry-as-Madea style). She may need some improvement in some specific areas, and even from reading the first book to the last you can see some, but one thing is for absolute sure: she is a dang good storyteller. And the rest of the world seems to think so too.} And continue.
Now the inspiration for my particular book I should give to Eloise McGraw because the faerie seed would’ve never been planted without her. It’s still a funny and kind of strange thing for me to admit that I wrote a story involving faeries. I have always thought that people who read that stuff were kind of off, so maybe this is just God having a sense of humor. I honestly don’t know where the story came from. It literally dropped into my head and I began to write. It could’ve been about spacemen, or zombies, or just two country kids who fell in love, but mine just happened to involve a faerie. Or two.
So what inspires you to do what you love?
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Great post, Ariel! I, for one, get my inspiration pretty randomly. Sometimes I have a really great dream that I just have to write down. Or sometimes I read/watch something that makes me want to write. More often than not, it's totally unexpected—I have lots of little notes on my phone about story ideas that came to me in the middle of the night when I simply could not (or refused to) get out of bed and actually write them.
And on the Meyer topic—I've heard the critiques on her writing, too. And even if they're technically true, I agree with you. She's sold a ton of books. People obviously love what she's written. Personally, I haven't read the books (started the first one and just didn't have the time). But I feel bad for how much grief she's gotten over her writing style, etc., because I can't help but wonder if she would ever have had so many people tearing down her style if her books hadn't become so popular. If they merely stayed in the YA section, there wouldn't have been near as many people to be so critical. She wrote those books geared specifically for a particular audience. The fact that it became a phenomenon non-specific to age doesn't change the fact that she didn't ever intend to write the series at the same level as the classics, or whatever. If that makes sense.
At this point, I feel like I'm babbling. So I'll quit. Ha! I'm not even sure I'm making sense anymore. But anyway…now I'm craving some Venti Starbucks… 😉