Where Do You Get Your Inspiration?
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
This month I’m celebrating finally finishing the draft of the rewrite of my Middle Grade novel. It was pretty much a Page One Rewrite, and frankly I’m not sure it’s any better than the original. It was fun to do, but I’m glad it’s over. Well, not over - I still have to revise. But first I need to let it sit for a while. I need to let all the questions percolate in my brain. Then I’ll re-read it and see what I’ve got.
I wrote about this last December, in my post The Importance of Letting Your Work Rest Before Editing. Now, I have to take my own advice. It’s nice, actually, to be free of a specific project. To let inspiration soak in, to play a little. Especially as winter drags on (not that It's been a very harsh one here) it’s nice to seek out some fresh inspiration and do some creative play.
What’s been inspiring me lately? A few things:
I am a patron of Egyptologist Sarah Parcak, a.k.a. “Indy from Space” who developed a Patreon to raise funds for her team’s digging season in Egypt. She shares fun stuff like behind-the-scenes looks at archaeological sites, Egyptian recipes, and this YouTube video of The Song of Isis, performed in ancient Egyptian language from The Pharaoh's Golden Parade Orchestra. Her Patreon is here if you’d like to get involved (for as little as $5/mo): (https://www.patreon.com/sarahparcak). Hmmm... maybe I’ll dig out my Middle Grade novel set in ancient Egypt next...
I loved James Bridle’s book Ways of Being - Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for Planetary Intelligence. It delves into the all the ways life on earth is interconnected, into different ways of knowing and being, and the emerging technology that is spawning knew ways of communicating and understanding. Honestly, it’s a hard book to summarize, but after reading it, you are unlikely to see the world in quite the same way again. It brought to mind the Buddhist concept of “interbeing” and E.O. Wilson’s “biophilia hypothesis” - the idea that humans have an innate tendency to seek connection with all other forms of life. It’s inspired me to writes some poems playing with these ideas, which is a lot of fun; an intellectual and emotional exercise of the senses.
I also enjoyed watching both series of The White Lotus on HBO. The characters are so well drawn, you feel like you could run into these people in real life and know them instantly (not like them, but know them). They all have distinct personalities, desires, ways of speaking and interacting, strong points and very human flaws. It’s a masterclass on character. I compare it to, say, House of the Dragon, which I enjoyed but found it hard to keep the characters in my head, and not just because of the time jumps. Many look the same, the names are very similar, and they all want one thing: power. The White Lotus also plays with themes of class and race and sex and power, in very darkly funny ways. If you think characters need to be likable to be relatable, watch this and enjoy being proven wrong. It approaches character in very different ways than I do, so I love picking it apart and seeing what I can learn.
I’m also delving into writing craft books, like John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey Into Story, and Free Your Pen: Mind Training for Writers, by Jessica Davidson, based on the Buddhist Lojong slogans for mind training. I’ll write more about these at a later date, when I’ve finished them.
And of course, reading for fun. Right now I’m heavy into Dorothy Dunnett’s House of Niccolò series, and enjoying it much more than my previous read-through when it first came out. For character-building, meticulous plotting, incredible historical detail, and grand adventure, you can’t beat her. The Lymond Chronicles will always be first in my heart, but Niccolò is another astonishing feat of long-form (very long – 8 volumes) storytelling.
It seems like every day more ideas and things I’d like to explore pour in. I’ve decided that this will be my month of exploration – my Month of Yes – so I don’t shut off anything, but allow myself to be open.
I’m going to try to remember to take Artist Dates as well. As Julia Cameron says, it’s important to re-fill the well every now and again, especially after a long immersive project. I’ve got my eye on a Kodo concert later in March (Japanese taiko drumming group – see them here and believe me, the sound is incredible in a live venue). I’m going to try baking a couple of versions of Irish Soda bread. I’m going to work on a Chakra journal workbook my cousin gave me for Christmas. It may be time to put together a collage of place I’d like to travel - getting so many ideas for journeys, experiences, retreats and I want to do them all.
And of course – get outside. Even in winter, there is life and beauty to be found all around us.
What about you? Is it time to refresh your creative spirit? Fill your well? Shake up the routine? What’s inspiring you lately? Please share in the comments!
