One of those most common questions I get asked is where do I get my inspiration? And I often pull out a quick/funny/trite answer, but really? The answer is life. I keep a notebook by my bed, in my purse, in my car, in my office, and sometimes I'm driving and a-ha happens, sometimes I meet someone or hear something and the idea clicks into one of my stories, or spawns a whole new book. Here are a couple inspired moments from October
Music:
(You know I'm going with the stache picture)
I went to a Paul Simon concert with my parents at the Caesar's Palace Colosseum (where Celine Dion sings. I know). The median age at this concert was probably 44, and Paul Simon just turned 70, and I still felt like I did when I was 16, sitting on the jetty at a beach in Mexico, my walkman (yes, walkman) blaring THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK. My mom's first concert was Simon and Garfunkel when she was 16, and we both look like old men when we dance, so it was a night that bridged generations.
The man is a master lyricist. And it was somewhere in the middle of the concert that I closed my eyes and thought about the background to one particular song and.... there it was. The lacking emotion in the end of my WIP. I might even put one of the quotes somewhere in my book. Uh, if it doesn't cost too much.
One of his recent songs that I really enjoyed is called Rewrite. My dad says it's about rewriting a life, which sure, SOUNDS deep, but I'm going with the literal definition because I feel like I'm always in the middle of a rewrite. Always.
Here's my favorite verse with chorus.
Travel:
October has been a busy travel month. So Cal, Portland, half a dozen skype and school visits, and tomorrow I leave for Houston for Tweens Read conference at Bobby Shaw Middle School in Pasadena TX on Saturday at 10. More info here
I never did write about Portland, but that's why I have Lisa Schroeder in my life. Because she's a better blogger.
I've wanted to visit Portland for eons, and she did not disappoint. If I were nomadic, I would nomad myself right to the NW. Vibrant downtown, beautiful wildli Add a Comment