Inspiration

I have discovered an amazing thing since I began writing, other than my grammar needed a hell of a polish up! I am seeing and hearing and even tasting the world in a very different way.

Inspiration is EVERYWHERE. Seriously, I see a lady in the local shopping centre with thigh high stiletto boots and BAM, there is my lead female demon for Awaken. I have tea and scones with my sister at a little tea house called Miss Marples in the Dandenong Ranges and there was the place my protagonist had a part time job.

The one thing that really gets my head in a spin though is music. Now I don’t at all profess to being an aficionado of music at all, but I know what I like and I like music that hits me in the guts, apart from ABBA which just makes me want to dance and embarrass my kids! A good emotive song has visions of characters in various scenes popping into my head quicker than if I sat at the pc trying to just imagine it up out of thin air. In fact, one of the first ideas I had for Awaken was inspired by Guy Sebastians’ Battle scars. Every time I heard this song I imagined battle weary angels and it all went from there. Thanks Guy!  Since then I’ve adored ‘Demons’ by Imagine dragons which has been on repeat endlessly, and more recently Adele’s’ ‘Hello’. I really love this song and I have a very specific scene I’m going to write for the sequel to Awaken because of it.

Inspirations is everywhere. Look around you, not just if you write, but for anything. The world is amazing when you allow it to be.

 

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3 months on…..

It’s been three months since I published Awaken and I have to say it has absolutely been a roller coaster of emotion throughout this time. The initial elation was tempered by expectations I had of myself and others not being met. This left me feeling disappointed, unsure of myself and wondering, “Does anyone give a damn?”

I found that my expectations of others did not necessarily gel with the joy and pride I felt with completing and publishing a book. I really let this get me down for a while. It wasn’t about book sales, it was about the fact that no one seemed to be talking to me about my book, my experience or even giving me a call to say well done. I suppose I thought that when I plugged my new achievement all over social media I might get at least one message of congratulations but nothing happened. It was really hard. The doubt I felt was overwhelming. It took many conversations with my sister and husband to get it out of my system and realise that you just can’t pin your hopes on the reactions of others to keep your motivation and belief in yourself going. I learned a very important lesson here. I did and do believe in what I’m doing. I am very passionate about my writing and the joy it brings me is worth more than any book sales I may or may not have. Slowly, I have moved on from this with a clear vision.

I have discovered the joy of Instagram and met some lovely book bloggers, book lovers  and reviewers who are going to review Awaken. I’m very excited to receive their feedback.

I’m now knee deep into the sequel to Awaken. I managed to write a few chapters on some recent plane flights as I’m terrified of flying. I punched out thousands of words to prevent my knuckles going too white from fright!

I’ve have learned a lot about writing style and technique which is making the process a little quicker. My beautiful artist is currently working on the cover of the second book, the initial drawings are just too amazing which is motivating my writing even more.

Life  really is one long lesson. I discover everyday something new about myself and the world, and everyday I read, reading is food for the soul.

Go read, feed your souls heartily!