Ideas Out of Nowhere

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

          I love to watch interviews with writers. In our profession, everyone has a different process. I love to learn about them as it’s comforting to know we all slog through ideas and words until we hit upon the right ones.

          On the PBS show Hamilton’s America, a camera crew followed Lin-Manuel Miranda around while he was researching and writing Hamilton. He went to historical places, wrote while sitting in Aaron Burr’s bedroom, worked with his creative Broadway show team, and lived his life.

          Miranda didn’t know when he picked up Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton to read on vacation that he would be writing a $100+ million musical and book. Miranda’s background included Rap; Hamilton’s did not—yet that’s all Miranda could hear as he read the book. And it’s all people can talk about after they see the show.

Because he’s been listening to all kinds of music and writing for decades, his mind was open to possibilities. He didn't fight the unlikely idea, just went with it. He didn’t lose his enthusiasm even when it took over two years to write it.

          I also watched J. K. Rowling & Harry Potter: Behind Closed Doors on the Reels channel. She wrote her first book about a rabbit at the age of six. Her mother loved it so Jo asked her mother how to get it published. She knew then she was a writer.

Rowling received her idea out of nowhere when she was on a train thinking of nothing. Suddenly, she pictured a little boy who didn’t know he was a wizard on a train heading to a wizard boarding school. Then she worked backwards as to how he got there.

          Turns out trains were a big part of Rowling’s life. Her parents met on a train so she always thought of them as romantic. (Later on, her second husband, knowing this, proposed to her on The Orient Express.)

          Also, Rowling studied the classics in college. Her knowledge certainly played a big part in the Harry Potter series in the names she used and in the spells. Grounded in history, mythology, and literature, they were both a bit familiar and new to readers.

It took her five years to write the first book as she was also working, pregnant, and then raising her daughter after an ugly breakup with her first husband. Even when broke and worried, she wrote not knowing if the book would ever sell. She said, “I just believed in my book.”

Stephanie Meyer, author of the Twilight vampire series who always wanted to be a writer, says her idea out of nowhere came to her in a dream about a teenage girl and boy sitting in a field together. The problem: the boy wanted to kill the girl as much as he wanted to love her. Meyer didn’t know why but wrote until she discovered the answer.

          Ideas from nowhere and yet the prepared minds recognized them and followed through.

For the week of May 14-20, my word count was 8,725. Yes, ideas are coming to me and I'm working on them.

A Prayer for Freelance Writers

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

Last night I attended our first PTO meeting of the year and was thrilled to see such a large turnout--15 people.  That may seem like a lame turnout to most, but for those of us in the world of PTO, any number above the board members that shows up is a plus!

Once we got down to business, we were excited about all the plans for the upcoming school year, but we also realized we have our work cut out for us.  Funding is difficult, parent involvement is usually a challenge, and even rallying teachers to get involved can add to the mix.  An optimist at heart, I refuse to let these types of things get in the way of the spirit that we have amongst even our small group, so at the end of the meeting I suggested we take a deep breath, and visualize a positive school year experience for our kids, the teachers and the parents in our community.  Then I took it one step further and got a little cheesy by asking all in attendance to share one thought they could offer that we could turn into a PTO Prayer (not in the religious sense) to reflect on throughout the year.

The ladies (and one dad!) that were at the meeting really liked this idea and within 15 minutes we had a witty, inspiring, thought-provoking sentiment down on paper that we are going to print and distribute to our school community.  It felt great to walk away from the meeting with such a creative twist on how we as involved parents want to contribute to our school this year.

When I got home, I began thinking about this post.  As much as I'd love to admit I plan these posts in advance, it's just not possible with my full-time work schedule and busy life as a mom of 8.  Still, I look forward to it all week long and can't wait to sit down and write it.   As I reflected on our awesome PTO meeting, I began to think about prayer in general.  I'm not trying to make today's post about anything religious, I promise, but what I am trying to share is that sometimes we can take the wording of a prayer and use it as a tool for inspiration and even as a calming mechanism when we're feeling overwhelmed or frustrated that we can't write as often as we'd like.

As luck would have it (or more like it was meant to be!) I received the following e-mail entitled "A Short Prayer for Freelance Writers written by Carol Tice.   I'm sharing it below as "food for thought" in hopes that maybe you can glean a few of it's points to help inspire your writing in the days and weeks to come.

Just for today, let me be compassionate with myself.

I forgive myself for not writing enough, or well enough, or fast enough.

I am thankful today for my unique creative gifts. Instead of dwelling on regrets about what I haven’t accomplished yet, I will focus on what I can do now to develop my craft.

Let me take at least one, small step today to put my writing out there.

When my query letters go unanswered, I will remain serene and remember that it’s often not about me or my writing.

I will listen and learn from people whose feedback I value, but trust that my most important guiding voice and source of confidence as a writer lies within.

When opportunities arise, let me evaluate them with clear eyes and have the wisdom to pass if the gig isn’t right for me. I will not let feelings of panic or desperation lead me to make bad choices, but trust that if I do my marketing, the right gigs will come to me.

Because the people who matter to me are important, I will strive to set aside device-free time today in which I am fully present for them.

I will make time to move my body, stay healthy, and take in the beauty that surrounds me. I know it will fuel more creativity.

Grant that I lie down in peace tonight, grateful for the chance I’ve had today to write, to grow, and to send my message out into the world.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about how a prayer like this could influence your writing going forward.

Finding the Right Place to Write!

From Cheryl's Writing Crate

As I've mentioned before, January truly is one of my favorite months.  I'm just coming off that "New Year's" high where that blank slate in front of me is beginning to take a bit of shape.

Because this year I'm really not setting resolutions, but intentions instead, I have challenged myself to be extra creative in finding new places to write this year.  Don't misunderstand--my writer's crate is my first choice because I have fabricated it to house my most prized writing possessions--favorite resource books, inspired quotes and photos, past and present journals, pictures of my family and most important--my vision board which lists all my writing dreams and desires as if they've already happened.

Now, realistically, for those writing dreams to happen--well, I need to actually write!  So with this brand new year still so fresh I sat down and brainstormed some fun new places to make some magic on my pages this year.

Here's my recent list of places I hope to be frequenting in the year ahead as I feed my muse and my passion--all things written!

1.  The Mall -- Don't underestimate the flow of ideas and stimulation you can get from grabbing a cup of hot chocolate and sitting in the food court at the mall.  Not only is the people watching great, the abundance of material for magazine articles, a short story or even your novel is there for the taking.

2.  The Registry of Motor Vehicles -- Are you booing and hissing at the thoughts of this?  Face it, when we go to the registry we usually end up waiting for at least an hour or more.  I have to renew my license this year as well as take care of some title business on one of our cars so I plan on bringing my laptop and hunkering down right in my very own DMV.

3.  The Airport -- One of my favorite movies is "Love Actually" starring Hugh Grant.  The opening scene to this movie is in Heathrow Airport in London.  I have always been intrigued by airports and find myself wondering where everyone is traveling to and why they might be doing so.  I'm going to hit our state airport in Rhode Island in February and see what excitement I can stir up in my writing this winter.  

4.  The Bowling Alley -- My kids love to bowl, and I love to watch them bowl.  Their expressions when they get a near strike or better yet when they get a gutter ball are priceless.  There is something very "grass roots" about the local bowling alley, so I'm going to give that location a whirl this year as well.

5.  A Church Parking Lot -- My family belongs to a large parish right on campus at The University of Rhode Island.  The activity in the parking lot alone after Mass is something to behold.  I think the good Lord would be pleased to see me perched in the church parking lot some Sunday after Mass where i can reflect on all the blessings in my life and turn those thoughts into something memorable on paper.

How about you?  Do you have some creative spots in which you hope to pen some wonderful works this year?