Inspiration Round 2

I like finding inspiration where it doesn't mean to be.  Do some people really live their lives simply to inspire others?  If so, I think that is a little self-involved or at least, a little self-righteous.  I would like to think that there are things I've done in my life that have inspired or would inspire others.  I don't know what those things are though.  That's not why I would have done them.  I think that is the way it should be.  People aren't running back to me saying "you inspired me".  I've received my share of appreciation over the years for what I've done but I wouldn't call that inspiring people.  I like it when I see people challenging the odds.  Following their dreams in spite of the obstacles. 

But I also get inspired when I see people doing things that I want to be doing.  Writing is at the top of that list.  Mostly because I just simply don't do it enough.  There was a time when I did it every day.  A lot of it was crappy.  I know this because I've been going back and reading a lot of it lately.  But some of that crappiness turned into some stuff that I was pretty proud of.  That's what writing is all about.  Writing something and working on it until it's good.  I've been getting back to it lately.  And I'm producing a lot of crap.  The good thing about that though, is that I know I'll make some of it pretty good if I stay with it.  That's the trick.  If you want to be a good writer, you have to do it all the time.  You live with your writing and it lives with you.  I am at my social weirdest when I am writing all the time.  Something someone will do will remind me of something I've written or they will do something that I will want to write about and I immediately start thinking of the words in my head.  It can be difficult to have a conversation with me when I get like that.  But I digress.

My real point here is that writing is a lonely venture for the most part.  It can be very discouraging because so much of the early drafts can be so terrible.  There is a need for writers to draw inspiration from other writers.  Kurt Vonnegut and James Baldwin are two that pop into my head immediately.  But two others are friends of mine.  When I realize I haven't written for a while or simply when I'm struggling with my own stuff, I look to their blogs.  They help me realize that there are no rules when it comes to writing except to write what you are thinking and then just let it go from there.

Jen Lile gets the first kudos.  Jen is is determined to have one adventure for every week of the year (or something like that).  That is an inspirational idea in itself.  If you think about it, we all experience at least one adventure a week or could if we wanted to.  Jen takes it one step further and challenges herself to do something new, something she has never done before.  If you can't find inspiration in that, then you are dead.  Much of Jen's posts are standard, informative, and typically, yes, they are inspirational reads.  If I were to use baseball metaphors, then I would say most of her posts are base hits (as opposed to outs, strike outs, or walks) but every once in a while she hits a home run like this one:

Creating Life's Report Card (click to read)

And then there is Mick Parsons.  Mick is a great American voice (IMO).  His writing brings out slices of life of real American characters who have confidence but are still struggling to find their way in a capitalistic world.  His characters are human, imperfect like each of us, and they are not bashful at sharing their insights on the world around them nor do they hesitate to share the intimate workings of their own minds.  His reads are delightful whether the plot is present or not and whether you're a cynic or not, though they are probably more entertaining if you are at least a little cynical.  Here is a good taste, not his best, but good nonetheless:

Excerpts From In Season: "Nada" (click to read)

The bottom line is this: they write.  They see themselves as part of a larger world.  They share; meaning they write wanting to be read.  And for me, the simple fact that they write to be read is inspirational.