One Thing Leads To Another

Hello y’all. Today’s blog is sponsored by 80s band The Fixx:

Haha, just kidding. I do want to talk about the things that inspires us to write (or create or perform). Conventional wisdom states that inspiration should be linear. You know, like a straight line. For example:

Reads  “Twilight” —> Decides on making the characters more kinky —> Changes character’s name to avoid a cease and desist letter –> Releases “Fifty Shades Of Grey”

Okay, that was cynical. But true

Conventional wisdom isn’t “wrong,” but many times it doesn’t paint the complete picture. What I’ve learned in my experience is that inspiration is a lot of time interconnected from seemingly disparate parts. Like a spider web.

Music plays an instrumental role in my writing process. I’ve mentioned on this space before that my first book, “By The Ounce And Other Tales” was inspired by the sweet sounds of Celtic Woman. Beyond that, I’m a big advocate of using architecture as a jumping off point for my work. When the topic comes up, I’m not shy in proclaiming my love for the period of time where Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne were in their prime.

Not only have I used them as a guide for story (e.g. What kind of situation would a character living in that time period go through?), I’ve also used the visual cues for my writing structure (e.g. A storytelling style that matches the smooth edges and elegance of Streamline Moderne)

I encourage you to explore your own personal web of influences. Who knows, “one thing may lead to another!”

I get bonus points for working in the title, right? Right?!

–Flobo