You're the Inspiration

Inspiration is everywhere, if you look. The problem most people have with inspiration is their expectations of it. We have preconceived notions about what is supposed to inspire us. You know the thoughts I mean: a small child smiling or a red rose or the elderly couple walking down the street holding hands. While all of those are inspiring to those looking for love or beauty or innocence, what about the writers who are creating a serial killer character? We need inspiration too. The point is that there should not be limits put on what inspires us as writers or people in general. And that can be a Hard Habit to Break (for those of you under 35, that is the second Chicago reference in this post). 

The key for me letting inspiration come to me was letting go of the limited view. Letting myself imagine that anything was truly possible in my brain, even if it's not in real life. Of course, my brain as I believe I have mentioned before is a little cluttered with activity. I'm 99% sure that I have undiagnosed ADHD, but luckily most days I use the extra brain activity productively. Opening my brain to all the possibilities out there helped me a lot with writing as I could do anything with the words that I wanted from that point on. Letting go was the best thing for my idea generation of possible topics to write about.

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I know it sounds all wonderful and I never get strapped for ideas (my inner critic is laughing right now in my head), but while inspiration comes easier, it sometimes decides to humble me. In those moments I refer to the same ideas that I mentioned in the previous post about editing and getting frustrated: play with your dog, dance it out around your living room or go shopping. To some it may seem as though you are not working, but your brain is diligently working through ideas while you are checking out the newest pair of cute heels in Macy's. Our brains are awesome in the way they can multitask. So, trust your brain and give yourself a break if you need one. Inspiration will find its way back if you let it. And most importantly, if you don't let it stop you.