The Inspiration Cocktail

I was thinking today of the first inspiring moment that led

me down the road of writing. I had an epiphany about a year

and a half ago when, for the first time in my life I stood up for

myself. Not just myself but fellow employees who were

getting screwed over. I couldn't take it and I snapped at the

boss' with no regard for the outcome. In that moment I didn't

care if I had a job or not, only that I wasn't going to watch

good people be treated like crap. It was a culmination of

thousands of straws breaking the camels back. Hell, the camel

suffocated under one of those big round bales you see in a

farmers field.

It felt great to get my feelings out, although, since it was

my first big blow up I probably took it a little far. After some

cooling off time I sat down to write my feelings down and

compose a tactful, yet extremely politically correct, account of

my actions and the injustice that was plaguing my fellow

coworkers.

Without going into details--I do still work there after all--

the outcome was quite productive and I learned that it's good

to collect your thoughts...and even better to express them in

a controlled and polite manner.

So that was the inspiration to get me started on writing

down my feelings. Each and every week what inspires me is

like a cocktail of emotions that sometimes mesh together and

sometimes go up in flames. It's like taking a jigger of anger

and an ounce of frustration and maybe adding a splash of bliss

just to keep you sane.

The cocktail is ever changing with different emotions, but

in the end, it's those emotions that will drive your writing and

infuse your characters with life. Plus, it's some of the best

therapy I've encountered. Where else can you take a person

from your own life, give them a new name, and then decide

what there outcome will be in your story.

I have to admit there is a great satisfaction that comes

as you write about a fight or death that will get this toxic

personality away from you. Even if it is just a story. It's

the world you control and there is a power there. Writing

is power.

As I opened myself up to the writing experience I

found myself paying more attention to everything happening

around me. I was absorbing life and looking at others and

wondering what there lives were like. Slowly, I could

feel myself opening up more and giving more of myself

to friends and family.

So I say, use your emotions as fuel to create that

novel that's in your head. Once you are on a roll, it's

like an addiction.

Currently I am able to get a good solid two hours

of writing in a day. I would love to sit and spend six to

eight hours on it, but I live in a world where bills do need

to get paid and food is a nice thing to have around. So

I try to be happy with my two hours and relish in those

instances when I can squeeze in another hour or two.

There are no new stats for the queries I have out.

It's still: Rejections: 4 Queries still out there: 8

I will post my progress on the second book in the

series if anyone should be interested on how long it will

take me to get through this one. I started it on

February 1st when I started sending out queries

about the first book.

Right now I am on page 71 in Chapter 5.