Tag: #inspire

Inspired by what?

Today I read a blog post on Twitter by another writer Jenny Quintana but originally forgot to save a link to it.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The theme of the blog was what to do to get inspiration for writing. The writer had 3 tips which she found useful to share.

As I write this I will try to remember what they were and how they helped.

Some of them I have unconsciously used myself

1 listen to a piece of music. This may stimulate a word that causes a trickle of others to follow.

I have done this a lot. Often when sitting in the car you suddenly hear the words differently and the song may generate an alternative story or even just promote a calmness from the maddening world around.

I have listened to musicians playing at an open mic and the atmosphere just caused the words to flow. What I wrote was nothing to do with what was happening around me.

2 look at a picture or piece of artwork and imagine where it is, what feelings it generates or describe the colours and properties which you feel others can’t see.

As per above I have allowed my imagination to run wild just clanging words here and there.

3 read a book and take a random words from 10 pages

I have also used a version of this by getting a CD cover and using the track listings as the words.

This created a powerful list which I turned into a poem.

4 this is one of my own

Just sit in silence and listen to what is happening around you.

Look at the sky and visualise the clouds and create a story around them.

I was amazed at what I heard as I sat in my garden. I heard the motorway, a train (don’t live close to a station) but then I heard water in a neighbour’s pond.

Picking up the sound can sometimes provide either the inspiration or allow you to think without distractions

Having looked much closer at my notifications I managed to find the link

https://t.co/8s6TOgJ4bl?amp=1

Her 3 tips were

Art and Music

Reading and using real experiences for example from newspapers to flesh out scenes

Doing something completely different

ONE DAY THE SUN WILL HAVE HIS HAT ON (AGAIN)

So the lockdown will be upon us tomorrow.

Has this changed anything in your life?

Will you still continue to work or will you stay at home?

Will you be furloughed again or does the threat of redundancy post December 2nd feel more real.

Be sure to look at all the supportive measures that you can. Keeping mentally healthy is important.

Maybe ring up that relative that you forgot to yesterday to check that they will be ok.

Arrange a Zoom/Skype/MS teams/ Facebook (other virtual mediums available) meeting to say hi and make sure that you don’t feel alone.

Maybe do something nice today. Cook a nice meal and share a photo. Buy some flowers or chocolates for those you live with.

Start planning your evening viewing or turn the tv off and read a book that is sitting there gathering dust which you promised yourself that you would read weeks or even years ago

Maybe you can play a board game.

Maybe sing along to a song from your voluminous vinyl record/ cd or Spotify collection.

If you are artistic then maybe this is the opportunity to produce something.

Write a book, poem or draw a picture.

Just because life produces lemons you don’t have to be bitter.

Smile ( even under your mask) it does produce endorphins and who knows, someone else may smile back.

The sun will put his hat on and you will reply hip hip hurrah or am I going to far now!