I’m a Writer-Down-of-Things. If it’s not spelled out in words, I’m not sure it makes it in even the one ear. I live by to-do lists, grocery lists, and daily agendas. I never, ever leave home without a notebook (thinking about doing so does funny, mean things to my gut).

So, of course, I’m no different when it comes to my “Seeds of Inspiration.” I have many computer files full of killer concepts and zany characters. Some of those aforementioned notebooks have highlighted sections of brilliant plot points or doodles of fantastical creatures. Scraps of paper with awesome character names. Napkins with great dialog snippets.

But, Dear Reader, here’s a dark, dark secret, (please keep it between you and me): I have never looked at any of them again.

Yep, I frantically captured every single iota of an idea, only to ignore them when I was supposed to need them. In fact, I was avoiding them. It wasn’t intentional. Shoving the notebooks away and filing documents in places where they’d never be opened. I tried and tried to use these self-generated resources, just to fail with every attempt. But why? For an idea-hoarder like me, it made no sense.

Finally, it hit me: I ignored my collection of hooks and characters and turning points because I didn’t need them. In fact, I was better off without them.

Huh? You ask.

Allow me to explain myself: When the time came to dip into the Well’o’Inspiration, the strongest ideas boiled to the surface without aide. Things had burrowed deep into my brain, waiting to peek out like Katherine’s daffodils when the time was right. Sure, I probably made note of them in some file when they first showed, but the real proof was that they stuck with me. They were, literally, unforgettable.

And THAT made sense. After all, if they dug their roots deep enough for this scattered f mind to remember, then they might have some staying power with a reader too.

So my best advice to you other Writers-Down-of-Things: Feel free to write things down. Use those tape recorders and memory apps. Make lists. Doodle. Journal dreams. Try and try and try to pin those ideas into some useable format.

Or don’t.

You see, in the end: You don’t get the best ideas, they get you. 

Don't tell anyone.  I'm commandeering the blog for a few minutes to let you know about a not-so-secret cover reveal on Monday February 13, 2012 at the Dark Faerie Tales blog.

I'm only letting you know because I'm kind of excited about it.  I'm also a little personally invested.  It's the cover for my debut novel SILVER.

Can't wait to share it!  See you Monday!

I'm deep in the revision cave this week, so I asked the lovely Lenore Appelhans to come by and talk about what inspires her writing. I'm so glad she agreed to guest blog. Her post has inspired me and I'm sure it will do the same for you. Thank you, Lenore!

A while back, I attended a writer’s workshop with about 15 other writers.  Most of them are still seeking publication, so I was happy to share my experiences thus far on my publishing journey.  As we discussed specific problems in each writer’s work, I was often able to give examples from novels I thought might be helpful or inspirational in some way.

After about an hour of this, one writer turned to me and said, “Wow – you sure read a lot of books! Where do you find the time?  I’m only able to read like two books a year.”

I replied that I didn’t find the time, I made the time.  And I mentioned Stephen King as someone who spends half his workday reading and half writing.  (Not that I ‘m that evolved, but it’s something to aspire to)

The workshop moved on, but I felt shaken.  How could aspiring writers not read?  I honestly cannot imagine that my writing could have matured to the point it has without all the hours, weeks, months that I spent reading.

Ok, yes, there are times when I’m under deadline pressure that I don’t manage to read.  But this can only ever be a temporary state, because if I don’t fill up my inspiration tank, my creative drive starts to sputter.

Of course reading isn’t the only way I fill up my tank, though as a writer, it is my primary way.  Seeing movies, going to concerts, walking around the city, meeting friends, travelling – all those activities help keep me from burning out and allow the ideas to flow.

Reading is not just a great source of inspiration, it’s a necessary one. So yeah. If you’re not finding the time to read, start making the time to read.  For me, that’s what made all the difference.

Ah, inspiration. The Holy Grail for writers.  I live for those moments when the muse is strongest, when I can't not write a particular idea.  When I know, with a certainty I can feel in my soul, that this, this, is the story I must tell.  
Unfortunately, inspiration is a fickle mistress.  For me, it hangs around for somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000 words.  No wonder it took me nineteen years from when I first decided to write a novel to actually finish one.

There are any number of reasons that even the most intriguing idea or concept can lose its shine long before you finish the story.  First, there's the problem of plot.  As in the novel must have one.  It's not enough to have an amazing concept or a character that you love if you don't have anywhere to go with it.  It helps to have an idea of where the plot is going.

So I've taken a few days to outline and now I have a plot.  Now I just need to plug in the scenes.  Not exactly. In order to write something that will sustain you for 300 pages, you need to have characters you love hanging out with.  And not just the kind that are great in small doses like the guy who never fails to make you laugh when you're waiting in line for coffee, but who drives you cray-cray if there are more than three people in line ahead of you.  Often, if I lose interest in an idea, it's because I haven't figured out the characters yet.
So now I have an amazing concept, great characters and a plot.  Good to go?  Um, no.  Writing a novel is hard.  It's impossible to sustain inspiration all the way from the first whisper of an idea to the final page of the final draft.  There are bound to be lulls along the way.  But somewhere if I keep slogging through, something magic happens.  I find new inspiration, something that takes my original idea to unexpected and awesome places. 

Here are some things I've done to find, capture and rediscover inspiration:

1.  Once an idea comes to you, find the part of the idea that is uniquely you.  A story that is close to your heart is more likely to stay close to your heart.

2.  When inspiration strikes, listen.  Then write.  I have three ideas that are all vying to be the next project.  I've started all three manuscripts and outlined the basic story structure.  I don't know if or when I'll get to any of them, but if I don't, it won't be because I've forgotten the idea or the basis for my inspiration.

3.  Work through the lows.  It's impossible to feel inspired everytime you sit down to write, but if you wait to be inspired, you'll never finish.  Open the file.  Feel your way in.  Inspiration can strike when you're least expecting it.  And if doesn't?  That's what tomorrow's for.

4.  Say something important.  I'm not talking about being preachy, but your book should be about something bigger than the character or the plot.  The best books help us understand what it means to be human through the main character's journey.  What does it mean to you?  Write that.

5.  Make a playlist.  I love finding music that speaks exactly to a character's personality, evokes the emotion of a scene, or is tied into a particular theme.  I add songs to my playlist as I discover new songs, or new information about my story and characters.  Before I sit down to right, I start by listening a song that fits the mood of my story.  Once I start writing, I don't 'hear' the music anymore, but it's in the background like a subliminal soundtrack to the scene.

6.  Read, read and read.  Reading is an endless source of inspiration.  Read in your genre and outside of it.  Nothing is as inspiring as reading a book that makes your heart sing.  The more you read, the more you learn about story structure, plotting and characterization. 

7.  Challenge yourself.  I'm much less likely to lose interest in a project if I push myself to try something I'm not quite comfortable with.  It helps if the challenge is just outside of your comfort zone, but not so hard that you'll be tempted to give up.  All three of the projects I have waiting in the wings involve some twist on story structure and point of view.

8.  Commune with other writers.  Call a writing friend or just get on Twitter and chat with other writers.  Read some blogs that focus on craft.  Support matters.

9.  When all else fails, step away from the computer.  Take a walk.  Inspiration strikes when we least expect it.   

How do you get inspired?

I love springtime.   I know it's early February and all of Europe is blanketed in snow and really, it should be winter.  But here in California, It's been dry and warm (until today) and spring is giving us a sneak peek.

And the daffodils in my yard are beginning to show their lovely heads.  Daffodils are my favorite flower.  Because they look like little trumpets, heralding the coming of spring.  They are just so joyous.

What does all of this have to do with this week's blog theme?  Aren't we talking about the "Seeds of Inspiration"?  Yes.

And no.

To grow daffodils, you plant bulbs.  You plant them in the fall, so they wait in the frozen ground over winter.  Hibernating.  Ready to herald the spring.

Some ideas are like that.  They don't just find fertile soil, sprout once and grow into amazing trees and bear gorgeous fruit.  Some ideas sprout and die back.  Sprout and die back.  They hibernate over winter.

Some ideas stay with you for a long time, raising their lovely heads now and again to remind you that they are there.  That they are beautiful.  That they will come back.  And then they hibernate again until the time is right.

I have an idea for a novel that I've wanted to write for years.  The bulb was first planted by a song.  It sprang to life and I took notes.  Then I wrote something else.  It sprang up again and I did research.  Then I wrote GILT.  The little buds of this idea are coming up again.  I wrote a few pages before my edit letter for Book 2 came.  I may write a couple more after my deadline.  But it will still have to wait.  I have other things to write, and I'm just not ready.  But I know it will be hibernating.  Just like I know the daffodils will return to my garden.

We all have seeds and fertile soil.  So many ideas and so many hours of writing.  But I'm sure you all have daffodils, too.