♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦
Topic #450
Share a place you go to for inspiration.
Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. Even more so, we appreciate that you share our writings with friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.
Is there a way to bring you to my thoughtful place? Writing books is my attempt to bring people into the world of things that I see and think on the inside. I’m an introvert. From dreaming to daydreaming, or maybe just musing, the inside of my head is where you’ll often find me pull inspiration from. Did you know that the majority of my books came from dreams? I may have mentioned it a few times on the blog already, but it always is worth mentioning again. The fact that that happens fascinates me.
A lot of authors go to the library or a beautiful spot that really recharges their desire to write. Putting on some tunes that make me feel that swelling in my heart, that wistful (maybe sentimental feelings) and taking some time to stare at the wall is all I need. Slow down. Take account. Think.
I’m an introvert. So this detail about my work process makes a lot of sense. That said, many introverts have actual places they go, too. I prefer intangible spaces. I’m far less likely to run into uncomfortable situations and intrusions.
For instance, one other place that I immerse myself to find inspiration is, while writing historical fiction, the research material I need to get a grip on the period and events. Something as simple as fabrics and builds of clothing can give me tons to work with. These simple aspects really help characterization and design. You’ve heard the old adage that clothes make the man.
Floor plans for buildings and event details likewise feed my introvert brain. That said, all of it returns to the fact that I go inward for inspiration. To me, writing a novel is like putting a puzzle together. A lot of quiet thinking and assessment of the pieces takes place. Eventually, when you’ve gotten it together, you see the big picture. It goes form being a wrapper on a box to reality.
To be totally honest, while I don’t have a physical space to run to, going into my own head has been a real treat. I think I’ve decorated it very nicely and I’ve spent a great deal of time trying to expand it. I’m grateful to my family and friends who have helped me to do so along the way, as well as colleagues and mentors. After all, we are the sum total of our experiences. I think that this speaks to the experiences I have had in life.
In this same vein, when you understand an introvert is quickly and easily exhausted by social interaction, you get why one might avoid a physical go to space. I can’t write when tired from expending all my energy on others. It affects my depression and anxiety terribly. You have no idea how entitled some people feel to your time and effort for their own ends. That lights a fire under anxiety. Then, when they also think you’re rude for setting boundaries and will start fights about it, or make things uncomfortable for you long term by painting you in a certain light with others–sigh. That’s the pressure they apply to get your energy and compliance. It’s abuse. No, it isn’t fair or ok. But, they feel it’s entirely fine. Holding your ground can be tiring, too. However, I won’t give up on my personal boundaries. They are necessary, and the person without them is the actual problem.
Although depression, CPTSD, anxiety, and neurospiciness can be a hindrance to getting the job done when mixed with an introvert mind, it can also give unique perspectives on ideas. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows inside. That’s ok. The dim and dark corners sometimes have the greatest details to offer. I can’t write horror without understanding scary! I also can’t write fantasy and science fiction without imagining the edges of the known and beyond.
I’ve found in more recent times that the rise of AI has helped me take inner visions to the outside world, and serves as a great tandem for writing. Illustrations, as you know, are a great way to get inside an author’s head. However, my drawing style isn’t conducive to the work I write. I draw simple cartoon line art. Cutesy things aren’t going to serve me at all in this capacity. Although I love my Zo Duck series, it is far different from the things I write. So making art is also a place I go for inspiration.
Sometimes, inspiration is just having the energy to do the work.
Click on the links below to find out where the other authors on this hop go to find their inspiration. Don’t forget to subscribe before you leave so the hop arrives in your inbox on Fridays! See you next time.
Floor plans for buildings? That’s something I’ve never included in research. Fascinating!
I hardly ever remember my dreams, and if I do they’re usually just a chaotic jumble of things. It must be great to dream up a story!
As an introvert, I love the solitude that I can find outdoors, in the early morning, when the world is barely awake.