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| English: Collage of photos of authors (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Sources of Inspiration:
Authors or No Authors?
(Comments Wanted)
By Chris Lindberg
A pretty common question for a writer is “what authors have
inspired you?” It’s actually a great
question, since all writers’ styles and works are somehow related to one
another: inspiration is what ties us all together.
However, I am probably the odd person out here, but I’d have
to say the majority of my inspiration doesn’t come from other authors at
all. Now, before you dismiss this crazy
notion and close your browser window on me, please allow me just one more
paragraph to make some sense here.
Sure, I get inspired by good writing: Franzen, McCarthy, and
others. But reading the works of the
best authors makes you want to continue to develop your prose, and take your
writing to another level. Will most of
us get there? No, not even close. But it’s something to aspire to, and that
pushes us along as writers.
Now on the
flip side, I’m also inspired by not-so-good writing (I won’t name names here,
since good vs bad writing is clearly subjective): it gives me confidence to
think that if some authors can make a living putting out that stuff, maybe my
work just needs to catch the right set of eyes, and I’ll get a lucky break,
too.
But really, what inspires me more
than any other authors’ works, is the stuff I see and hear on an every day
basis.
What stuff, you ask?
It could be anything, really. A
conversation you overhear. Someone
wearing an odd-looking shirt,
walking by on the street. A pair of
dogs playing in a field. A cloud
pattern in the sky. See? Anything, really. It just has to resonate with me: capture my attention for a
split-second, and start a train of thought in my mind that turns into a scene,
storyline, or character interaction.
And something I see or hear will likely only inspire me, not another
writer; just like what another author sees may put a thought in his or her head
that would never occur to me.
And that’s what really inspires me as a writer, more than
anything else. What about you, is your
main source of inspiration other authors, or something entirely different
too?
_____
Chris Lindberg’s first novel, Code of Darkness, was released in August. You can find out more by visiting www.codeofdarkness.com, or visiting
Facebook and searching on “code of darkness.”
To purchase Code of Darkness in paperback or e-book edition,
please check out: http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=code+of+darkness
Or search “code of darkness” on Amazon or BN.com.
You can also email him at chris@codeofdarkness.com – he’d love to hear from you.
You can also email him at chris@codeofdarkness.com – he’d love to hear from you.
