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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

How Much is a Picture Worth?

Life is inspiration. I mention it a lot, because I believe it. As much as I enjoy writing, I love experiencing the world around me more. Nature is the fuel to my muse.

While I could spend all day in a dark room with my laptop, punching away thousands of words, I know that, without fuel, I would eventually run out of things to write about. That's why I escape as often as I can. A small hike, a camping trip, a night with a telescope, an afternoon with my family, even a moment of terror outside during a violent thunderstorm give me what I need to keep my stories interesting.

I took a bit of a break these last few weeks, filling my cup with as much inspiration as possible. I kept writing, in fact, I'm almost done with draft one of book two in the series (I still don't have a name for it), but not at the pace that got me here. I'm okay with that. I spent quality time with my wife and children and created some memories that will last a lifetime.

It's these memories, life, and nature that will keep the stories coming; tiny tidbits of detail that aren't possible to find online, or in a book; real life experiences that will enrich the flavor of my writing. Not everyone needs that, but I do. It's a part of who I am, and part of that comes through on the pages I create.

I posted a photo above and I'm posting one below. They are from extraordinary moments that I experienced in the last few weeks. They say a lot, without showing much. What do they tell you? What stories do they inspire?

7 comments:

  1. Hi Jamie! I't'sLuky Sherman. I've giving out blog awards (I have to gvie out 5), and I picked you to receive one. It's called the Irresistably Sweet blog Award, and I was given the award by my friend and fellow writer, Rene Nightingale. The info about the award is on my blog. Thanks. http://lukysherman.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-blog-award.html...

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  2. Wow. Thanks for the award, Luky. I'm heading to your blog now.

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  3. I love finding inspiration from interesting pictures. I prefer the billowy cloud picture. I have an affinity for thunderstorms, living within Tornado Alley, and they always wake up my imagination. And who knows, there might be aliens hiding up there.

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  4. I couldn't agree more. So many times I'll be wishing I had more time to write in a certain day, only to find rich inspiration in some of the simple everyday tasks of life. Children, family, nature, even a mundane trip to the store can ignite that muse. One of the pleasures of being a writer, I guess; it follows us everywhere we go. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I'm inspired by pictures as well.

    Have you seen the picture of the Toronto riot kiss? Google it if you haven't. That pic is almost too perfect to be real (Do you think it could have been staged?

    I store pics in my folders with my writing.
    I wish I was better at photography. I think pictures tell their own stories.

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  6. Love your blog name- and the pictures you posted are beautiful.

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  7. I love that comments on blogs last forever. I was thinking about this post today, specifically all of these comments, and was happy to reread them this evening. Thank you all. Great words.

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