At the Writer’s Coffeehouse last month, we discussed inspiration—where we find it and how we hang on to it. What I found is that there are two different types of inspiration: the Muse kind and the long-term kind.
We are used to thinking of inspiration as “how do I get my Muse to talk to me?” or how to get into your flow state as a writer. We all do need something to move us from the mundane brain to the creative brain, so we all have our inspirations, whether it be a saying or a magic pencil or a Lego figure.
But writers who are in this for the long haul also need inspiration to keep us going through the rough patches. Like when the words aren’t flowing, but the rejections are. Or when the day job takes over your life and squeezes your writing time to nil. Or when your family demands more of your time than usual. Or when health concerns crop up. Or even when things are going well but you have more things to juggle than you can fit in a 24-hour period.
What inspires you for the long haul? Is it still your quote or magic pencil or Lego figure? Do you trade up to a unicorn or a favorite book or a person who inspires you? Or do you have some other way of getting through the rough times?
I’ll be honest—when I looked for things that inspired my Muse, I was a little stumped. Which may explain why (in spite of turning out a lot of work) I have felt lost in a creative desert for the past 4 years. I did eventually remember a bookmark that I still have (and of course cannot find at the moment) from childhood. A unicorn glitters on the front, and it says, “Some things have to be believed to be seen.” Which I believed as a child, and still believe today.
As for my long-term inspirations…well, I found three. The first are the Coffeehouses and workshops and conferences I attend. They always fire me up and get the juices flowing. But they are like booster shots—temporary pick-me-ups that don’t last very long.
The second is something Lois Duncan once said. I have a preschooler at home, and she has sucked energy and time from me (as small children will). Sometimes I despair of ever getting any writing done. Then I remember that Lois Duncan wrote most of her most popular books while raising FIVE small children. She talked once about typing a manuscript (on a typewriter) with a baby in her lap. So I figure if she could do it with five, I can find a way to manage with one!
The third inspiration is not so much inspiration as sheer stubbornness. When things get rough, I simply put my head down and plow ahead. I try to learn more craft along the way, so I am at least plowing in the right direction. Some call it tenacity or endurance, but I think I’m just too pig-headed to quit. I’ve come so far, I refuse to simply walk away. I also think my life-long anxiety disorder has shaped this method of coping. There are so many things in my daily life that spark my anxiety, I long ago found that the only way through was to grit my teeth and just plunge ahead. So I do. Every day. For all sorts of things. It is no surprise, then, that when faced with obstacles in my writing life, I do the same thing.
So those are some of the things that I find inspiring. How about you? What drives you when things get tough?
Even Kids Can Change the World
A while back, Roni Loren talked about author themes—recurring themes that happen in almost all of an author’s work, regardless of genre jumps, etc. And recently Jami Gold talked about finding an author tagline to help with branding—a tagline to let people know what you write about.
Now, I am not great with titles and pithy taglines. So I still don’t have an author tagline. But I did start thinking about what I write and what it’s really all about at the bottom line.
So here it is: I want kids to know that being who they truly are is powerful, and that their power can change the world.
Sounds kind of lofty, doesn’t it?
When people, especially kids, hear about changing the world, they think big. Becoming President or curing cancer or brokering world peace. And doing any of those things is intimidating, overwhelming, and must wait until they grow up.
But here’s the secret: little things change the world, too.
Making a difference in just one person’s life can change the world in ways you may never see. It will certainly change that person’s life. And that causes a ripple effect as his changed life impacts other lives.
Kids can do that. They can make a difference to one person. Every child has the ability to perform an act of kindness or generosity. They can reach out to the new kid in school. They can help tutor other kids. They can shovel the sidewalk of the elderly person next door. They can volunteer for causes they are passionate about. They can speak up for people being bullied. They can smile at someone who is sad. They can give their birthday money to a cause they want to support. By listening to their hearts and following their passions, they can make a difference today in their own world.
Make one difference; you change the world.
This may sound overly-idealistic to some. Sometimes it sounds that way to me, too. I’ve been around the block, I know how cynical and hard the world is. Except that I have seen the difference a single person can make. I have been touched by a child that never spoke a word, yet spawned an incredible tsunami of kindness.
So I don’t have an author tagline, but that’s why I write. To tell kids that they are powerful, even when they don’t feel like they are. To tell them that they can make a difference, even when they don’t think can. Because the world needs change and they are the ones to do it.
One person can change the world. And you are never too young to be that person.