creative writing

Have you ever found yourself suspect to an unexpected inspirational moment?

The other day my oldest son, Noah, was home sick from school. He had woken in the morning with a slight fever, so I had to keep him home. (If you go to school with a fever, you will get sent home.) Anyways, that day he wasn’t that sick. He was actually quite active.

Little piano keyboard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And during the day he created a music game—he played a random little tune on our piano while my youngest and I danced around the living room. The faster he played, the faster we dance. And when the music stopped playing, we stopped dancing. If the music sounded “wiggly,” we danced “wiggly”. Get the picture?

Experiencing the “ah-ha” moment is unforgettable.

My heart was touched as I watched my five-year-old sit at the piano, with his little legs dangling from the piano bench. He was so proud of the music he was creating, and it came so naturally. He wasn’t just “hunting and pecking” at the keys. His notes morphed together beautifully. He was inspired with a new game idea and he was able to communicate it as he played.

Cover via Amazon

I have sat for months trying to figure out how to jump-start my YA story idea. I’ve questioned myself and my methods—Do I need to read more? Should I hang out with teens? Do I need to revisit “Pretty in Pink” or “Say Anything” to grab hold of the innocent yet cheesy teen romance moment?

Something has held me back…lack of inspiration? Fear of failure? Procrastination? My own lack of self-esteem as a writer? Be it whatever, I’ve made hideous excuses for not writing—until I watched my son play the piano.

Hands down, my kids are my inspiration. I have had an adorable little idea for a children’s book series, all based on my experiences as a mom of ‘two little monkeys’. The ideas are endless. The adventures are endless. All this time my inspiration has been staring me in the face. Yet I didn’t recognize it until my precious “ah-ha” moment.

I think as a writer we sometimes focus too hard on finding inspiration—

And we miss what is right in front of our faces.

I think sometimes we try too hard, make things too difficult. Some published writers are able to naturally create imaginative worlds and characters without any single detail relatable to their life experiences. And that is remarkable! But it doesn’t work for every writer.

Cover of Hush, Hush

The other day I was browsing Author Becca Fitzpatrick’s Website, and discovered that she draws from her experiences as a teen to create her masterpieces. (And I use the word ‘masterpiece’ because her “Hush, Hush” saga is absolutely that—a masterpiece.)

I didn’t know this! This tid-bit of information was surprising to me. If you’ve read the “hush, hush” saga, I’m sure you understand. The suspense, romance, plot, and characters are tremendous—how could any of it have been pulled from real life experiences?

Yet that is the beauty of fiction—duh. We can pull inspiration from anywhere and twist it into what is necessary to “get the job done” and create the perfect masterpiece.

Inspiration can come from anywhere—

It’s what we do with it that is the most important.

So there it is. I finally opened my eyes and my heart to my inspiration. Now it is up to me to do something with it. No more procrastinating. It’s time to put these ideas to paper and create a masterpiece for myself and for my children.

Have you ever caught yourself in an “ah-ha” moment of inspiration?

…as always, thank you for your thoughts 🙂