More Thoughts About Inspiration

I've recently discovered that old photographs are an incredible source of inspiration.

When visiting my family in Massachusetts earlier this month, my sister and I stayed up late several nights, talking. Okay, I admit it, every night!

She showed me some old family photos, like from the 1920s and 1930s. We speculated about our family, our grandparents, and our great-grandparents. We tossed around old stories, old rumors--both hilariously funny and tremendously sad. 

As we speculated, my imagination went wild, and so did Celenie's. I came up with a terrific plot idea for a family saga-type story that includes romance, betrayal, and all kinds of other heartstring-tugging emotions.

It's amazing how you can what-if your way into creating a reality. (I guess soap operas do that on a daily basis, eh?)

Anyway, this photo of my daughter dressing up as a hula girl is just a visualization of how wonderful it is to pretend and what-if. Care to dig up and share any of your inspiring photos? If so, send them to me and I'll post them and we can get some really wild stories going!

What Did I Ever Do to Deserve This?

Notice the very important message on Laurie's left hand?  She's referring to me.  This picture is a reminder that I should NEVER underestimate the power of a word or the importance of a relationship.

Laurie jumped out of an airplane to raise funds for a an organization that's very important to her, and while the day had tremendous meaning for on her so many, many levels, she still spent considerable time thinking about me.  Wow...

When we write, even those of us who write plot-driven books and stories, the fundamental messages we send are communicated through our characters--via their motivations, fears, memories, loves, hates, and relationships.  Our fictional relationships need to reflect the powerful emotions that drive them in order for us to impact our readers--the way real people impact us in real life.

I spent the first part of this Mother's Day missing my mother; I spent the second half of it being so greatful for the fact that I am a mother.

Inspiration

See that upside down girl?  Well, she's mine.  And she is truly an inspiration.  She, who is terrified of heights, jumped out of an airplane today as part of Operation Freefall, a fundraiser for the organization Speaking Out Against Rape.  Two of her friends, Michael and Jessica, jumped right along with her to show their support.  (We should all have friends like that!)

We writers are often asked where we find our inspiration, if we pattern our characters after people we know, and where we come up with our ideas.  Thanks to my daughter, her friends, and so many other people, I find inspiration everywhere.  If I choose not to focus on the positive, I can find other characters and behavior about which to write, too...  Life is, after all, made up of endless perspectives, good, and evil.

Today, I am inspired by the brave and courageous souls associated with SOAR.  If you'd like to learn more about Laurie and the many others who raised over $100,000 in the 10th anniversary of Operation Freefall to help victims of sexual assault, click on the link I've provided below. 

FYI, Laurie was the second fundraiser nationwide and I couldn't be prouder of her - not only for helping others but for so courageously sharing her story, as so few rape victims do.

Speaking Out About Rape

One More Reason to Write

I write because I have to:  that's my driving motiviation.

Since being published in newspaper and magazine a number of years ago, I've received the occasional fan mail and comments from readers who like my work.  Those kind words have been know to buoy my spirits for a day or two.  (Okay, or ten!)

But there's nothing like having a reader of one of my novels rave about it.  I was fortunate enough to receive a 5-star review from a fan on Amazon today.  Not only did she love my book, but she's looking forward to reading more of my stuff.

How's that for motivation?

What motiviates you to write?  And how do you feel about those raving fans?

It Pays to Have Smart Kids

Not that I actually had anything to do with the quality of my kids' brain cells--even I know genetics isn't something we can control.  I do choose, however, to believe that my kids inherited their good looks from my ex-husband and their brains from me...

Anyway, getting back on track, I'd like to share with you the brilliance of my youngest daughter.  She is not yet thirty and the level of her intelligence and professional savvy boggles my mind.  She is a recruiter...of salespeople.  And not just any kind of salespeople, either.  She recruits people who sell financial services.  Talk about being behind the eight-ball these days!  I guess she hasn't heard the news that the financial services industry is facing challenges and consunmers aren't investing like they used to:  she's recruiting like crazy.

A couple of years ago, she informed me about a number of online services she'd joined to help her with her job.  In sales, in case you didn't know, the really important thing is to broadcast your name all over the place.  The single most important aspect about making important contacts when you're in sales is the number of people who know who you are and what you do.  (It's not, as many people believe, the number of people YOU know, although there is some correlation.)

More to please her than because I believed posting professional information about myself online would actually benefit me financially, I joined Linked In.  This is where I tie my story in to the blog post title:  IT PAYS TO HAVE SMART KIDS.

I received an e-mail from a fellow in California three weeks ago who was looking for a person with precisely my professional qualifications--which is odd, since I pursue three different professional endeavors in two separate industries.

To cut to the chase, I secured a lucrative contract doing something I love:  writing.  Yes, it's about insurance but, hey, I know that subject really well.  And, did I mention, I'm being paid to write?

If you have smart kids, listen to them.  It pays. 

Literally!