New summer header starts on the blog today. This is of a
beach in the Ionian sea taken by Tamara83 and licensed
through Shutterstock.
One of the questions that pops up a lot in chats and so
forth is where do I find inspiration, and photos are a great source of ideas.
Not just ideas…because inspiration isn’t just an cerebral thing. Inspiration
has to be at least partly...trigger. Drive? Impetus? It’s emotion and urgency
and the need to create or put into action.
Seeing that it’s about time for another one of those
quarterly FIVE THINGS I LOVE blogs, I
thought maybe we could put a different twist on it and offer up five things
that inspire you. Er, me. And you.
For me, photographs, old and new. And vintage postcards. I
love vintage postcards. Those muted, slightly unnatural colors and depictions
of a world lost to time. I have a number of them from Catalina where I hope to
set the next Doyle and Spain
story one of these days.
Music. I don’t know a more powerful medium for reaching
across cultures and politics. This is “Didn’t Know,” a song by Laura
Browne-Sorenson (among other things, she did the music for my last two book
trailers).
“But you stand out among the faces,
Choir robes and shoe laces”
Gets me every time.
Rain. Rain makes me want to write. I don’t know why that
would be, but nothing gets me in the mood to write like rain--especially if a
fireplace is involved.
Swimming. Water again? But yes, I get many good ideas for
writing while I’m swimming. Or even just floating. A long, quiet swim is both inspirational
and centering. Walking is good too. But swimming is better.
Dreams. Yes, I’ve actually got ideas for stories from
dreams. More so when I was younger. I don’t have many “story dreams” anymore,
though I did spend a lot of last night trying to preserve a basket of new born
kittens. Since I’m allergic to cats, there’s no doubt a goldmine of psychic
weirdness going on there. I used to have wonderful, scary, elaborate
adventurous dreams. Now my dreams are much more confused (though still
elaborate) and have to do more with losing paperwork or turning up on the day
of a final after missing class all semester.
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| Bruce Rolff licensed thru Shutterstock |
So what about you? What do you find inspirational? And what are you inspired to do?
Love the ocean, walks along the beach, the salty breeze blowing in my face, my dog stealing volleyballs from unsuspecting youths....
ReplyDeleteMusic, especially those haunting Celtic melodies.
My very first Mr. Pinkerton story either came to me in a dream or a bout of insomnia....was I awake or dozing? I don't know. Especially considering there was nothing dream-like about it....but I love cats...I want to be one when I grow up.
Photography. Landscapes and flowers. Love black and white. And HDR....that's what I want to learn next!
Nature in all it's forms, especially long walks through the redwoods, and if there happens to be a waterfall: priceless.
ps. I want to go to Catalina. And read a new Doyle and Spain. On Catalina.
All those lilting minor chords, yes. If and when you can work cello into Celtic music, it's wonderfully eerie.
DeleteI like cats a lot. But they do make me sneeze.
Rain is very inspiring to write to, I am with you on that! So much so that I use a rain noise app when no particular music is suitable to the story or scene. It's a very soothing, cleansing sound... but I really still can't pinpoint why it motivates me so much to write.
ReplyDeleteI'm also inspired by the night sky, which sadly, isn't really something I can enjoy here in NYC. Back when I used to live in the great White Mountains, the sky was so amazingly black and the Milky Way was so, so brilliant you felt like you could fall backwards into it. Very beautiful. I could get lost staring up at it, and it was even more incredible in the middle of a dark, winter night. I'm planning a few stories to take place there, just to try and share that beauty through words.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Josh! I am wondering how those kittens fared. ;)
(I can't wait for another Doyle and Spain!!)
-C.S.
They started out mouse-sized and were regular kitten size when I woke up, so they were doing pretty well, I think. I, on the other hand, was a wreck! :-D
Deleteha ha ha!! Your subconscious is demanding a pet. :)
DeleteHi Josh,
ReplyDeleteThe main inspiration for me is being near the grandeur of nature. I can get the closest to that ideal when I am sitting at the ocean's edge, hearing and watching the waves crash on Cape Cod's shore late in the day. The experience is both overwhelming and thrilling. And what am I inspired to do? It makes me want to be a kinder, more giving, more accepting person. It doesn't always work, but I like that the urge to try is always within me in this setting.
I am pleased so many things inspire you. And what lovely things they are. Creativity needs to be frequently refreshed. It's been quite a while since you've spoken of Doyle & Spain. That second book will be most appreciated whenever you have a chance to write it. As for the above song, Didn't Know—haunting and heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing it.
As for the above song, Didn't Know—haunting and heartbreaking. Thank you for sharing it.
DeleteI agree. I listened to it about five times in a row this morning.
Gorgeous new blog photo, Josh. It reminds me of isolated beach areas on Cape Cod.
DeleteThe Shower. Maybe it is the ritual of cleansing. New day, new opportunities. Since I am not creative, this is where I plan my day, think about the projects I need to work on, remember the tasks I still need to do, contemplate my navel.
ReplyDeleteColors inspire me. Whether in nature or man made, like opening a new box of Crayola crayons. Sometimes I can almost feel a color, like touching a cloth. Music inspires me too, but I have to be careful. It can also make me sad, which shuts me down. Like your old postcards, I think, I am more connected to old music. Very old music. Music that I imagine my great greats listened to. Maybe danced to. It connects me somehow. One thing I am sure of, inspiration comes when you least expect it, and at times, when you're least equip to handle it. Which in my case usually finds me hunting for paint and paper at weird hours of the night. :)
ReplyDeleteThe weather. since we get all four seasons here in Chicago the weather inspires me a great deal. From tropical humidity and desert heat, to hurricane winds and sideways rain, mist, fog, blizzards, thunder snow, its impossible not to see a story in all of it. But there's also the bones of the place from its architecture to deeds both selfless and horrific all you have to do is look. Then there are the dreams and memories that refuse to stop touching you in places you never knew you knew.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I tend to play Orth when I get stuck telling a story. O Fortuna! never fails to make something snap into focus.
Sometimes just reading the history of a place is enough to set a story off in my head.
I guess in the end, whatever inspires you is what you need.
People are my greatest inspiration. I like to watch them, listen to their stories, ask them questions, try to figure out what sends someone down one path instead of another. Books. I love seeing someone else's thinking in action, how they steer you to just where they want you. Silence. Not actual silence, but things that stop the brain babble help me find inspiration. I've become a great walker; it's hard to dwell on incidentals when you're breathing hard. Arts. I've found that doing anything "artistic" helps with other artistic endeavors; for me, photography opens the gate in my head to other places.
ReplyDeletehuh... well, I have a great infinity for animals. My totem is a canine so , naturally I have 3. Nature is awe inspiring, children [ odd since I never want any of my own haha] the ones to small to have racial/class bias. the beauty of seeing the world thru fresh eyes.
ReplyDeleteIf you meant creative inspiration,.. I think mine has evaporated for years, but I am inspired to continue forward to my best ability. Laughter and the occasional friend are amazing . Im a people watcher too. their interactions and behaviors in public both amazes and shocks me. hah water seems to be a theme , I love the way the air smells after rain, walking in a drizzle, and swimming.[ currently I only "swim " in my shower but the love for it is there. BOOKS oh ya they are the best moments of the day, being outside, alone to enjoy books without interruptions. Aishen
To become allergic to cats was one of my greatest nightmares. Because I loved my cat and wouldn't have ever gave her away.
ReplyDelete(Okay, it has nothing to do with inspiration, but I feel sorry for everyone who is allergic to this beautiful animals... or animals generally.)
Oh, I could never get rid of a pet, even if I was allergic to it! I would just have to be medicated.
DeleteTravels. Catching glimpses of other people's lives while passing by.
ReplyDeleteDreams
Being alone in the woods.
I am a dreamer. It was my first pleasure I can remember as a three year old child. The stories my grandma told me were great material to use as a starting point. I was Hänsel, I was Gretel and I was the witch. In this half conscious state it was so easy to invent whole new stories or new adventures for my heros. But I always needed a jumping off point. Since I am a adult :-) , I do that slightly differently, now it is always a story about my lent characters, but I am no longer a active part of the story. Books a really an inspiration for me. Sitting on a shore does wonder to my inspiration skills, too. To see over all these waves, is quite relaxing and open doors for my mind.
ReplyDeleteLooking at paintings. Hearing to music. I love the voice of Laura Browne- Sorenson. Music can soothe me, but can make me sad too.
If I read, what I have written, this sounds not as a help for inspiration, more as a help for plagiarism. But some ideas I have are truly my own :-) !
I am happy to read that you begin to think over the next Doyle and Spain book. It is like the the prospekt of seeing old friends again.
ReplyDeleteWords inspire me. Books. Pictures. Art exhibitions. Music. New-to-me places. Meeting friends. Comfortable silence. Melancholy combined with old, everyday treasures. And those moments when you are on the verge of understanding something. Aaaand that was more than five things. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Laura Browne-Sorenson's song with us. It goes straight to one's heart, doesn't it. I also love her "I Will Think of You" and "Dear Friend" (which you have in The Haunted Heart playlist). Beautiful and inspiring, indeed.
Oh, and I think that flying fish postcard is seriously cool! :-)
DeleteOf course I am biased, but I listen to Laura's Marilyn Drive album all the time. I love it.
DeleteI love flying fish! I have never been to Catalina when there were flying fish, and I don't know if they are even there any more. I would love to see some!
DeleteI need a LIKE-button.
DeleteOr two. :-)
DeleteRain inspires me, too. And if I don't have any ideas or too many of them are floating around in my head and I can't get them under control I just need to talk a walk in the wood. Everything becomes clearer after that and I always have new ideas. Also travelling is a great inspiration and working in the garden.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post because it was inspiring in itself. Could you maybe write about things that get you into writing-mood if there's anything like that?
By the way I just finished Fair Play and I loved the way Roland's group of revolutionaries was presented.
You know I haven't ever really thought about what inspires me. Which is pretty weird if you think about it. But I think I can genuinely claim to be inspired by overheard remarks. That and people telling me that I'm not allowed to write about a subject. I don't know if the second is really inspiration, or just my own troublemaking nature rising up.
ReplyDeleteBig sky vistas, preferably with rolling clouds, while driving through New Mexico and the west. Road trips in themselves, with a lot of time to think, plan, scheme, dream.
ReplyDeleteVisual/aural experiences of nature — ocean against the shore, rain and thunderstorms, mountain streams, the silence of a night sky broken by cicadas, train horns, toad calls.
Music with a touch of longing, including certain Argentine tangos, and the Baroque composers, Marin Marais and Nicola Matteis. I'd like this Matteis piece (Palladian Ensemble) played at my funeral. It almost makes me believe in an afterlife. : ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkfQ-eSTNOU
The colors and shapes of post-war, mid-century vintage beads.
Beautiful phrases, sentences, paragraphs, stories — the ones you can imagine emerged full-blown from the writer's mind, but know are the result of some mix of inspiration, experience, and craft.
I find I'm inspired by different things at different times. Lately it's been the night sky. Every night I put on my headphones and go for a long walk around my neighborhood listening to an audiobook or music. One of the drawbacks of living in Southern California is big city lights tend to bleach out the skies at night making it all but impossible to see stars and the other glories there are to find out there. But sometimes the skies are dark enough and the light is just right and it's possible to take a few good pictures. It's those times when I realize how blessed I am and how much I take something so simple as the gift of sight, for granted.
ReplyDelete