By Leslie Lindsay
(image (by TeddyAndTaft)
We writers look for inspiration in just about everything we do–and everyplace we go. So, it isn’t all that unusal that I am finding inspiration in all of the wrong places. Let me explain:
Just this week, the latest Ballard Designs catalog landed in my mailbox. I haven’t taken the time to flip through it till this morning. There on page 8 of the catalog is a little ditty about first impressions (it has to do with your entryway/front porch). Since my book opens with a knock on the door, this was perfect. Also perfect is that my female character later declares that she is giving up her pharmaceutical sales rep career in favor of becoming a decorator. I think I just may borrow and recreate a similar statement for my character as the one in the Ballard catalog. See what I mean about inspiration?
And then last night, reading a book to my kids, I come across all kinds of great alliteration and onomatopoeias….skitter, scurry, skate, slither…the book was sort of a t0ngue-twister about seeds and flowers no less, but hey–it stoked the ol’ creative brain/word bank.
Finally, on the way to drop my kids off at day camp this morning, another inspiration when I looked up at the back of a home as I drove past–a tiny window on the third floor, beckoning an attic office. I think I need to incorporate that in my prose somehow.
You see…inspiration can come at you in all the wrong places…but it works!
Write on, Wednesday!
For more inspiration on onomatopoeias, see:
- Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia
- Listing of and definitin of http://www.examples-of-onomatopoeia.com/
Leslie A. Lindsay| Writer & Creative 
Thanks for reminding me to keep my eyes and ears open at all times.
It’s a little crass but yesterday I walked into a bathroom, the smell spawned an image of a ancient prison cell and yes that went into my idea journal, a short paragraph to encapsulate the idea I had.
Strange places indeed.
Ooohhh…sounds like you got some good visceral senses going for that project. Love when all senses are tapped into on the page.
Visceral? Yes; visceral is a good word for it.
Visceral? Yes; visceral is a good word for it.
Inspiration found in the most unlikely places is a great fuel for the writer, indeed! Thanks for reminding me of that.
Yes, indeed! Who would have thought Ballard Designs would have done it for me? Once there was a paint catalog that came thru and I totally related to the old, weathered look of a paint job and thought, “Hummmm, I could use that as a way to describe the old piece of furniture in the old house I am writing about!”
I love when you can come up with a story from just one simple event that you witness. Anyways, great post.
Thanks, Austin! I like finding inspiration in unlikely places…feeds the creativity!