Late Night Musings

Hey guys,

Let me preface this post with an apology for any bad grammar. I had a long, but rather productive day, and I decided to reward myself with a blog post. A while ago, I did a post about the lessons I learned from writing. Tonight, I’m going to do a similar one so bear with me.

Lessons of Inspiration

So this time, it’s a little different. Instead of talking about my writing, I’m actually going to talk about getting inspiration for my writing.

1. A good night’s sleep

The idea for The Hanover Chronicles started with a simple dream on one of those nights that I actually dreamed. Now, the story has changed and grown a lot since that night, but the dream was so exciting for me that I got up in the middle of the night to write it down so I wouldn’t forget. I’ve since lost that piece of paper, but it went something like this:

“Twin Princesses: Odessa and Clarisse.  One Prince: Carter. Whoever wins that prince’s heart becomes the heir to their country.

Note: the story takes place in the future”

As you can see, this story has changed in some major ways. But I found that when I have to write something for a class that is creative, I always do better with after a good night’s sleep.

2. Music that is on point

So I spend most of my time listen to either Christian music or country music. However, there are moments when I’m trying to write, that those particular types of music just don’t jive with what I’m trying to write. *Fanfare* Enter my spotify writing playlist. I love spotify. I use it more than iTunes, but it is really nice for when I’m writing. I have a playlist with a wide variety of music from the theme song of Star Wars to Imagine Dragons. The point is that I have songs that fit practically any scene I would want to write. Without a good playlist, my writing would be absolute rubbish.

3. TV shows that are similar to my story

If I’m being honest, this is probably one of my favorite ways of getting inspiration. I mean who doesn’t like binge watching a tv show for inspiration. Yes, I know that not all TV shows are accurate, but sometimes I just need to watch a show to get that final push of inspiration. Downton Abbey and When Calls the Heart are some of my favorites because they show a formality between servants and employers (Downton Abbey) and a proper relationship between a man and a woman (When Calls the Heart). I have some other ones, but these are my favorite.

4. Movies are also essential

I use movies the same way that I use TV shows. However, I also find that movies are some of the best ways to get inspired for other things. (Here is where I veer completely off the topic of writing) So today, I went and saw the move The Finest Hours. And boy was it good. If any of you need a movie to watch this week, you should go see it. So not only did it provide some inspiration for some of my more dramatic scene, but it also gave me inspiration in two other ways.

a. It inspired me to go to the gym. I know this sounds funny and I do go workout a lot, but seeing this movie reminded me that one day I wanted to be the person out there saving lives. So the movie kept me from watching Netflix and got me to the gym.

b. It inspired me in my required art class. My university requires us to take seven CORE classes that are similar across the board. It has something to do with giving all of us a balanced foundation. However, one of those required classes is the dreaded CORE 105: Aesthetics. I am not an artist. I am creative, but not in the way that this class is looking forward to. While our professor seems really nice, I was dreading the weekly drawing assignment we had, because I can’t draw to save my life. Enter The Finest Hours, I decided that I would make my first drawing the little 36-ft Motor Lifeboat that is used. And surprisingly it turned out well.

These are only a few ways that I get my inspiration for writing (or other creative things). Maybe some of these will work for you guys.

Thanks for reading.

 

Until next time,

Bethany