Explore Your Idea Environment

In the spirit of all the posts and comments I have read recently about ideas being everywhere (which is absolutely true), I thought I'd share this quote.

     "Every person that you meet knows something you don't; learn from them."  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Well, hello? It stands to reason that if ideas are everywhere, the people around us are surely part of that equation. I work with children and always keep my ears open for story ideas as, so the saying goes, "out of the mouths of babes..."  So often, however, I find myself looking at things for ideas--the shape of the clouds in the sky, the beautiful sunrise or sunset, the antics of animals, the sounds in the environment, etc. There are so many unexplored ideas and story possibilities in those we encounter each and every day not to mention the new information gained to shelve away in our brains for future use just by listening and participating actively in communicative exchanges. I am going to do a better job of being open to really hearing those ideas and new information when going about my daily activities and communicating with others and see where it may lead. It will certainly broaden my horizons, so my mother used to say.

So, pay no attention if you finish up a conversation with me and turn to wave good-bye only to see me typing frantically on my phone or scribbling away in my notebook.  I'm just jotting down any thoughts as you go:)

Inspiration

Thank you to my mom and dad for these awesome birthday treats! New writing journals and pens always foster inspiration for me. I'm looking forward to an upcoming SCBWI writing conference this weekend and am hopeful new ideas will be plentiful. One of the quotes in this Life's Little Instruction Book really hit home for me as I often seem to let life get in the way and wait for the "perfect" time and place to write which, very often, is hard to find. I will leave you with these wise words as you embark on a new writing week...

"What are you waiting for? Perfect conditions? Conditions will never be perfect. Today's the day to dust off your dreams. So get out there. Get going. Get moving. Shoot down a star. Lasso the moon. Stare down a rhino. Life's not going to ask you to dance. You've got to run towards it with arms open and eyes flashing. Tackle it, wrestle it to the ground and kiss it on the lips. It always kisses back."
                                                                                                   H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Happy writing!

Keep Your Date

In the midst of crazy times, my writing always suffers and now is no exception.  I need to be reminded again and again to use the little snippets of time here and there and not wait for the big chunk of time that never materializes.  While I've not been good at sitting down, butt in chair, and actually working on a manuscript as of late, I have been knocking off several things, writing related, such as listening to replays from the PB Summit and a 12 x 12 webinar I missed.  I've also not been very good lately at posting consistently here on my blog.  I aim to do better going forward.

Today, I was reading a chapter in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers and was reminded it is possible to find time in the chaos and use that time effectively and efficiently. I read a chapter by Linda S. Clare.  She talked about finding time to write during years of running a daycare.  One thing she wrote that really stuck with me is to keep a date with your writing.  She did so by setting a timer and writing during the 90 minutes her day care kids rested/napped. I so agree that one must get creative in battling the challenge of finding time in a tight schedule, but it can be done. And I will do it.

Remember...

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein." ~ H. Jackson Brown

Well, then...back to work I go!