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Sources of Inspiration

Sources of Inspiration: Pain and Pleasure

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Go where the pain is. Transform your pain into prose, into poetry. Do something creative with your suffering. Make a work of art of your pain.  How often have I heard that advice in one form or another. There’s just one problem; I don’t want to go there. I don’t like dwelling upon my pain, the human monsters of this world whom take the forms of politicians, enforces, or part of corporation; all intent upon dehumanizing people to spread hate and satisfy their greed.  Thinking of such monsters sends me into a spiral of despair, which feels as if I’m … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Gifts

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Gifts are on my mind constantly right now, as I shop for family and friends, aware that they are shopping for me as well.  A gift can be a treasure, an offering of love (or hate), a blessing, a curse, a joy, or a nuisance. It all depends upon the gift and the giver.  The right (or wrong) gift can spark a story into action, changing a character’s life.  How often has a sword (or lightsaber), a ring, or a rose been handed over in a book or a movie, changing a character’s destiny, altering the choices they make?  How … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Positivity

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It’s been a challenge, staying positive this year. Too much is happening that scares the living daylights out of me.  The world has never felt like a safe place, even though I’ve been fortunate enough to live in safer places than some of my friends. Safety has felt more and more precarious. Too many loved ones have been threatened with health issues. I’ve been threatened with health issues.  A good friend advised me to stay positive. If I start to get depressed, take a breather, Take a walk, if I can. Look at the beauty of the flowers or anything … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Less Than Thick Skin

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All of my life, people have been telling me; I need to develop thick skin to truly be a writer.  I’ve never had thick skin. I felt everything intensely. Ever triumph on the page was an emotional high. Every failure was a blow, laying me low.  How could I develop this thick skin I needed? I had no idea how to get it. Besides, my sensitivity gave my writing power. Did I really have to lose it? The answer came to me while watching a Japanese anime called Naruto, named for its main character.  Naruto had a short temper. He … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Pain

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I’m feeling a lot of physical pain now; an ache in my joints, an itching soreness in my feet. Perhaps these are the natural results of age or having too much weight upon me.  It’s hard to talk about these things or even write about them. I feel like I’m whining, depressing everyone I discuss my pain with, including myself.  My inclination is to make a joke about my pain, to try to laugh about it with other people. It’s a lot better than being laughed at. For there’s fear at the heart of my jest; fear that my pain … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Rudeness

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Courtesy is extremely alluring to me, even in story or real life. Rudeness I’ve always found repellent.  I try very hard not to be rude myself. I don’t want the rudeness in the world to grow, swelled by my own. At the same time, it’s very hard not to respond in kind. I find myself visualize doing all sorts of impossible things in retaliation.  I walk straight through the rude people, causing them to shudder with cold or share my hot flashes. My target feels my anger, like a blow.  I imagine the rude person changing into a form that … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Power

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It’s alluring. It takes on many forms. It corrupts when hoarded. It strengthens many, when shared. It can be used to exploit entire nations, to ravage individuals of their self-respect, to prey upon the vulnerable. It can lift a person to lofty heights they’ve never dreamed of.  Power can be used for great good or great evil; for it can bestow greatness or reveal how small the wielder truly is.  What will you do with power? How will it change your characters? How will it effect everyone around them? Power can be the stuff of legends or nightmares. How it … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Safe Spaces

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As I grow more and more fragile, I feel increasingly unsafe.  Plot may thrive on conflict, but I need a place, a space, and a time to channel that conflict into words. I need a place of safety to write.  All my life, I’ve felt as if I had to go through daily life, surrounded by enemies. I’ve reached out, searching desperately for allies, for kindred spirits while being screamed at, kicked, and hurt for simply being who I am.  I’ve tried to disappear, blend in, not wanting those enemies to know it was me they were screaming at, kicking, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Eternal?

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I call my blog the Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration.  Sometimes I wonder if the very title is a lie. It’s my blog and I’m not eternal. No one is.  Recently, a major source of inspiration dried up, was reclaimed as something I can no longer use.  It wasn’t eternal, any more than I am, but our words remain as long as people read and remember them.  Perhaps this is enough for a writer to be eternal. To be read and remembered.  Perhaps my Cauldron will bubble as long as there’s something to add, stirring the creative juices, sparking creativity in … Read more