Spark of Creativity

This weekend my middle daughter asked me why I wanted to write. I gave her the usual answer of how much I love to be able to express myself, having something that has lived in my imagination come alive and take form on paper (or screen) and because it makes me smile. She nodded and we went about our Saturday. There was something about the question that stuck with me though. Something more about why I wanted to write.

What had been that initial spark? Was there one thing that jumpstarted my writing? I thought about it overnight and into Father’s Day. As we waited for our table for our Father’s Day dinner it hit me. I knew exactly the moment I wanted to be a writer. I was reading Go Ask Alice by Anonymous when I was eleven.

Yes eleven was probably a bit young for that particular book but I was blessed with a mother who didn’t really believe in restricting books and the arts from her children based upon age. I remember the day I got Go Ask Alice. I had gone to a garage sale with my grandmother. She was an avid glass and Avon bottle collector and we scoured the garage sales for finds. While she was inspecting a table of breakables (as we call them), I was immediately drawn to the huge table of books stacked upon one another. Now, if I could have had my way, we would have taken that whole table home. However, as it was my grandmother and being concerned with cost (can you imagine?) I was limited to one book.

I spent at least an hour reading the backs of the books and putting them in three piles, Keep, Nope, and Maybe. Then I narrowed through the Maybe and Keep piles until I was down to two books, Go Ask Alice and Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I asked for both of them and was told quickly it wasn’t going to happen. Finally I left with Go Ask Alice. I devoured that book in one sitting. I didn’t move until I finished the book.

That night I put pen to paper and started writing down ideas, thoughts, cares, concerns, characters, etc., anything and everything. I haven’t stopped yet. I never really thought of it as a career though, more of a love. It was my release and a time when my imagination could be allowed to run wild. I was one of those kids that adults would say they had their heads in the clouds. I daydreamed while I walked.

Go Ask Alice is still listed as being Anonymous though now is mostly believed to be by Beatrice Sparks. It is listed as a work of fiction though was presented much differently in the early 1970’s when it was published. It deals with a fifteen year old girl’s battle with addiction and the myriad of problems that comes with this battle.

It completely captured my attention and had me paying attention to people around me from that moment on. I started to “people watch” and speculate on what their stories were. I wondered about everyone from the grandmotherly lady behind us in the shopping line to the boy who sat behind me in class and pulled on my braid during silent reading. I started writing down those musings and giving them voices.

I still have that much battered copy of the book and am planning to re-read it this summer. I wonder what it will spark this time!

Character Love

In my work in progress #1 (shall be shortened to WIP1 from here on out) I am absolutely enthralled with my main character, Julia. She's dynamic, strong, and witty. The problem I am encountering is how to flesh her out to the reader so that all these qualities come shining through.

She's gone through struggles, had some obstacles to climb, and can be somewhat caustic about those things. I have had several re-writes of this WIP due to her qualities not being apparent enough. Dialogue,as I have found, is a great way to get more of her through.

Dialogue can be a tough road to write. Knowing when and how much to include versus letting the story unfold is a fine line. I will read the dialogue out loud to myself to hear how it sounds. Another option is to read it to my audience, also known as daughters, and get their take on it. One can always tell how good it is by quickly glancing at their faces. Squinted eyes and puckered mouths are a no-good indicator, and smiles and nods are a good job indicator.

So with Julia, while I want her to be tough, I need her to be soft at times as well without seeming weak. She's become an extension of myself at this point, with me often thinking, "Wonder how Julia would react to that situation," when I think of a new angle.

I have a main character (MC) in WIP#3 that I'm not in love with. In fact, I'd rather pull her hair at times she frustrates me so much. However, being the pacifist that I am I refrain from pulling hair or deleting her and continue to plug away. We just don't mesh. She's my antithesis in nearly every aspect and that makes her more fun to write. Cadence is making my hair go even more silver and she's not even real.

Her story is moving along more quickly at this point just because I can't anticipate how she will react to the situations I put forth, which makes it exciting and new to write.

Character love can be both good and bad. You can't be so involved in the character that you forget the story lines, and you can't be so against a character that you don't write appropriate situations that will challenge the reactions of your MC. As I said previously, what a fine line!

Now I'm off to write for WIP#4 where I have yet to decide what my character is truly like, her voice hasn't been defined yet. Oh, the fun stuff (rubbing hands eagerly here!).

Inspired By........

I often wonder who or what inspires other writers in their stories and writing. Some authors weave such fantastic tales filled with vivid locales and wild characters that transport me into their worlds so completely it is mildly painful to stop reading. When I'm done with a book of that impact I think about how the author came up with all of it.

In my writing, I am inspired by two things more than any other. One being music and the other being my children and their friends. These two things can spark an idea in my head and my imagination is off to the races. I know that I need to jot them down quickly or I will forget the angles that I've thought of.

My children and their friends will give me specific idea for a story or a character; the girl who was left out because of a misunderstanding, the giddiness of having a substitute teacher, or maybe that smile the boy you like gave you before boarding the bus at the end of the day. Those things can sometimes be lost to us adults as we have already experienced those things. As a young adult writer I believe those genuine little touches to be endearing and authentic to a reader. As a young adult reader, those moments often stick with me longer than some of the bigger plot lines.

Music inspires me differently. Instead of a specific incident it moves me to feeling a certain way. Throw on some Black Eyed Peas and I'm pumped for a fun scene. Fall Out Boy or Hawthorne Heights awakens that wistfulness in me for more insightful plots. Need to inject some angry or intensity in the story? Easy enough, just play some 30 Seconds to Mars or Escape the Fate.

Combine the two elements and I have a recipe for writing with feeling, authenticity, and honesty. Every single book I've ever loved has had all three of those things. You can't force those things, you can't fake them or it shows in the story. While I am far from perfect in my writing, I do feel that I have those three items. I can always improve my writing fundamentals, but not the emotion of the words I put on the page.

Have a great weekend!

So the weekend adventure begins. There are two types of writing for me. One is the weekday writer. The other is the weekend writer. Being a mom of busy active children means that I have to adjust my writing schedule accordingly.

Through the week I squeeze my writing in during naptime and after the girls go to sleep. This often makes for a tired me the next day. I find solace in writing at night however, the quiet gives me time to think my ideas through and journey along with my characters in their story. My naptime writing isn't as quiet and solitary as my night writing but it too allows me some time to outline my ideas and flesh out my characters.

Monday through Friday are quality writing days for me and just as I get into a real groove, BAM Saturday hits. Now please understand, I appreciate and adore my weekends. I love my weekends. There is time to unwind and relax. There are opportunities to talk and catch up with my kids and my husband. We have chances to spend quality family time doing fun activities. Those are the ideal weekends. Then we have weekends that somehow get so overscheduled that we aren't quite sure which end is up. Oh and did I mention that my husband works two Saturdays a month? Yeah, like I said, which end is up?

In between birthday parties, cheer activities, tumbling and socializing with dances, movies, and various other events we try to remember to say hello to one another. Those are the weekends that I carry my little steno notebook with me. While waiting for one child or another, I will work on current ideas or jot down an story idea that may occur to me. You would be amazed at how many times a story idea will come to me while I'm waiting for one of my girls to finish up an activity.

This weekend is a Mother's Day. A weekend to relax for me as a mom? Nah, of course not! My oldest has a dance and two friends spending the night, my middle has a birthday slumber party to attend and my youngest is stuck with me. Then of course we have a luncheon for Mother's Day with my mother-in-law and stopping in to see my mother. On top of that someone had the bright idea to buy her children season passes to an amusement park, oh boy! This will definitely be a steno notebook weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom or Author

I have always been prone to getting lost in my own imagination. I've also been known to be so consumed in a book that I burn dinner or forget to sleep. If you asked me, when I was younger, what I wanted to be when I grew up you received two answers. "A Mommy" and "A Writer". These two halves that make a whole me have always tugged me in different directions.

While in high school I received my first ever typewriter. I know this dates me terribly but it was probably one of the best presents ever. I went through countless sheets of paper, ribbons of ink and Wite-Out composing stories from my imagination. My junior year I took a creative writing course as an elective and was consumed with writing for that entire year. The positive feedback was exhilirating and intoxicating, inducing me to write more and more.

As often happens, life interrupted my love affair with putting words to paper. I lost my beloved grandmother, found my true love, and decided to be a mommy. Just like with my writing, I threw myself headfirst into being a mommy. I became consumed with being a perfect mom. My first daughter was born in 1997, a second followed in 2000, and our hat trick girl was born in 2005.

Then something amazing happened while I was busy being a mother. I discovered that I had enough room in my life for both of my career ambitions. I could be a mom and an author. This of course requires a lot of energy as both are demanding professions in which one must be hands on and constantly looking for ways to improve. There are times when I find that one has to take a back seat for the other, motherhood coming before writing nearly every time, but that's okay. It's fine because I know that just like my children I could never abadon my writing. It might have to wait for the dishes to be done, but I will come back to the keyboard and once again get lost in my words.