Confessions of a FF Writer: Random Inspiration
Random Inspiration
By: Pemberly Rose
Inspiration:
noun
1. an inspiring or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2. something inspired, as an idea.
3. a result of inspired activity.
4. a thing or person that inspires.
5. Theology .a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.b. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
This summer has been a hectic one for this FF writer. Between school (which I’ll have you know I kicked biology’s ass), family dramz and my bestie H getting engaged, it’s been one thing after another. Funny thing is, I’ve never been more inspired this summer.
Yeah, I know right? Figures. I’m actually working on building up a buffer right now for my fic Life in Technicolor, which is why I haven’t updated it in a few months. Inspiration is a tricky mistress I’ll tell ya.
It was really slow going at first. Heaviness and angst isn’t something I entirely enjoy writing but it is necessary to any well-rounded story. Took me forever to get that particular chapter done with any form of inspiration. Sometimes even inspiration isn’t much help against a massive block. What I’ve found in my many years in FF is that even though blockages are apparent it’s important to persevere.
Often, more recently I find myself in the infinite scroll of tumblr. Between the NSFW photos serving as citrusy inspiration and hilarious Mean Girls references in all things from Inception, to Harry Potter and Twilight. I find that inspiration isn’t something that really comes to you like how Hollywood paints it. It can on rare occasion present itself. The littlest things this summer have been some of the biggest sources of inspiration it seems.
The hardest thing to do when in need of a muse, is finding inspiration. Back in the spring when I was hopelessly blocked I would look for hours at a time, through music, movies and photographs for some piece of inspiration. Muses are flighty transient things. When you have one, no matter what you’re doing you feel like you have to sit down and write. The hardest part for me was the actual getting down to writing business. Seems all it took was two ridiculously intense summer courses and suddenly my characters wouldn’t shut up! And always the night before an exam!
For the writers out there, when does inspiration strike you the hardest? I find it happens most when I’m busiest.
And why is that actually? Is it just because when we actually have the time to sit down and think about it we psych ourselves out of actually doing it? Is that just the general nature of procrastination? I’ll admit I’m about one of the worst procrastinators out there. Quite often this summer I would be up until the wee hours of the morning working on studying and assignments that I just waited to do. Was it by bad planning? Yes partially, and also it was because I like so many of us have crazy hectic lives that it makes it difficult to actually plan to do anything. Constantly I would sit down at the computer to do homework or actually get some writing done and then five minutes in my phone would ring, or someone in my family would need me for something or other.
It was truly maddening! Thankfully my muses, music, movies, some television (did anyone else get a load of Alcide’s wolf lovin’ on the latest True Blood?) have decided to stick around for a little while longer. I grow nervous though as the fall semester nears. What will be there for me then? Long hours of slogging through studying, tutoring students in biology and then coming home exhausted? Will that be the time my muses decide to check out on me? Or will I get a repeat of this summer where when I’m at my busiest and most exhausted, that I get the best inspiration of all?
As crazy as it sounds I’m kind of hoping for the latter.
I have a serious book addiction too which is why if I’m going to go write at a book store, I purposely leave my money/cards at home so I can’t buy em!
Fantastic article, Pem! My inspiration for writing generally comes at one of three very inconvenient times: when I’m trying to fall asleep, in the car or at the gym. Of course, when I’m sitting in front of my computer wanting to write, crickets chirp in my head.
I know how that feels! It sucks! I’ve been getting better at channelling those creative juices or just staying up way past my bedtime LOL.
Hey Lisa! Thanks so much for the comment! Inspiration is so not easy to get when you’re struggling, but when you have it, it’s so good! You’re right, sometimes the freedom of working from home actually provides a hindrance to actual conducive writing! In my undergrad I always found that I wrote better, faster and more efficiently under pressure – aka – the night before a huge paper was due. I’ve suffered with your situation so much before. It suuuucks. Sometimes changing scenery helps, when I’m really stuck I’ll go somewhere else to write. A coffee shop, a school/Public library often help get my creative juices going. Also, randomly book stores help too!
Ah, but see book stores feed my book addiction and I rarely am able to leave them without new, pretty purchases that might take me years to read as my to-read pile is completely ridiculous. ;)
I do need to just put on my big girl panties and buckle down and write though. It’s totally getting on my nerves that I’m not doing what I want.
~Lisa
Lisa, I really like Pemberly’s idea of a change of scenery. A book store wouldn’t work for you but you could find somewhere that would. If you’re out of the house you don’t have to look at work stuff or home stuff and you won’t feel like you’re supposed to be doing something else. I know that every other Friday you have a block of time that would be perfect for this. ;) Think about it.
Your’e right, Jen. :D “Natalia Day” would be the perfect time to change my scenery and find a space somewhere to just write. Maybe the Starbucks up the street, although since I don’t drink coffee I wonder how long they’d let me sit there? I could hang out at the Tropical Smoothie. They love me there after the fundraiser we did last week. ;)
Pem, I would find a way around the “taking no money/cards” with me. I’d probably offer to work there for free books. :p
~Lisa
I have to admit that I completely relate to this entire article. When I worked in an office building, managing four companies – I always had my word document open typing sentences, paragraphs, pages whenever I could. Being a master multi-tasker (the busier I am the better I work – for real) and having great peripheral vision made it easy to minimize the document and work on whichever assignment the boss walking by had given me. I got more chapters cranked out when I worked my regular, insanely busy, 8-5 Monday through Friday schedule.
Now, those four companies have downsized. Two of them have dropped me from employment while the other two have minimized their needs. I still work for them as I always have but my salary rate and work needs were cut way back. Another change is that I now work for them from my own home office. Sounds fabulous, right? I thought so too when it first happened last May. I quickly discovered that having the freedom to write whenever I wanted – instead of mostly on the down low – made it harder for me to write, not easier. I’ve been working from home for just over a year now and it’s mostly great. I run carpool, I can volunteer in my kids classes when they need me, I’m on the board for my daughter’s Winterguard team, and I can get my work done relatively quickly each day. I also seem to have lots of free time that I stupidly thought would be filled with writing, writing, and more writing. It was my dream to be able to write whenver I wanted too, right? Yes. It was. It still is. So why isn’t it happening? Why do I open the document and struggle to get out a sentence of a story that I already know the ending too? The muses are still there (thank God) so what’s the problem?
If anyone knows the answer can you give me a prescription please? I’d really love to cure myself of this ailment.
Pemberly – great article!
~Lisa