Sparkfest Day 4

Well, we are on Day 4 of Christine Tyler's wonderful creation, Sparkfest.   Yeah!  Thanks Christine!

A lot of us seem to get our inspiration from books, newspaper articles, and movies.  But often I find myself inspired by where I am.  Gazing over a rugged landscape vivid with greens, blues and crisp whites somehow flips a switch in my brain.  I sit staring at the scene reaching for my notebook. I am driven, like a moth to the light, to describe the profound sense of inferiority yet connection that enters my being.  I drive my husband crazy with my sappy poetic speech. But, I could sit there all day pondering life's meaning and writing about it.  Maybe a story would never come of those inspired scribbles, but my inner being feels the need to express itself through writing as if my ancient ancestors had programmed me to do so.


Are there any place which have inspired your writing?


Have a great weekend!

Kathy

Sparkfest III- The Power of the Written Word

Alyssa and Ryan enjoying their books together.

Thanks to Christine Tyler I've been thinking a lot about what has sparked my writing and what books have had an impact on me.  I enjoyed reminiscing about all the great stories I have read and reading what others have posted.  I wondered how my life would have been different if I had never been exposed to Dr. Seuss or even Disney fairy tales.  I'm sure I would have turned out fine and not known I had missed anything, but I can't help but think that reading those stories opened my mind to a whole realm of creative possibilities which has enriched my life.  I now see the power that we, as authors hold over young minds.  We can create a story and a world which can influence the way a person thinks for the rest of their lives.  That's quite a responsibility!

This is where I come to George Lucas.  I don't think any other creative mind has affected me as much.  I was 5 when Star Wars first appeared on the big screen.  I was lucky that my Dad was a big sci-fi guy so we went 5 times to see it in the theaters.  When it finally came out on video, my brothers and I watched it over and over, memorizing all the lines. I decided that we would shoot our own version.  So I wrote down all the lines on note cards and began to assemble props and costumes.  I got a little discouraged when I realized we didn't have enough people in our family to play all the parts.  I thought about my tall grandpa playing both Chewie and Darth Vader.  But I kept writing the lines. We never did film anything.

Then in 1980,  The Empire Strikes Back came out.  I cried when Han Solo was frozen in carbonite.  But I knew that Luke would become a Jedi and make everything right again.  In the meantime, I worked on my own Jedi Knight skills.  (Ok, I realize that this makes me look like a huge nerd, but it's true).  My brothers and I dressed in black and sneaked around the house, we focused on objects to make them move (well maybe I was the only one that tried that, but I was sure that if I just concentrated hard enough it would work....I still haven't gotten it.), and we practiced our fighting skills on each other.  But I believed in Yoda's teachings like he was my Master as well.  "Try not....do or do not."  His ancient words echoed in my mind and they gave me the extra incentive to  accomplish things.

By the time Return of the Jedi came out, I was totally immersed in the galaxy Lucas had created.  I can't say that I ever became a Jedi Knight, but I would like to believe that I still live by their ancient philosophy to "use their powers for the good of the galaxy" and "always seek self-improvement through knowledge and training".

I only hope that I can live up to Yoda's standards.


Kathy

Sparkfest Continued!

Today's question for the Sparkfest sponsored by Christine Tyler is:

What book/author inspired your current WIP?

It's funny how some things we read stick with us our whole lives.  There are a few books which will never leave my mind and will probably influence almost everything I write.


Way back in 1990, when Clan of the Cave Bear was popular,  I found  Mother Earth Father Sky, by Sue Harrison.  It told the story of a young Inuit girl who lost her entire tribe to a rival group.  She must trek across the frozen landscape to find her place in an ancient world.
I was riveted by Harrison's description of pre-historic life in the arctic circle and the tale of a young girl struggling to grow up in a harsh world.

Much later I was fascinated by anything about French or British Kings and Queens.  I read everything I could find about King Arthur, Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution.  One of my favorites was Young Elizabeth by Alison Plowden.  My heart ached for Elizabeth yet I could see how her troubled young life helped mold her into the powerful Queen she became.  

In all of these books I loved the strong female characters and knew that I wanted my MC modeled after their strength.

Recently, I have also gotten a lot of inspiration from Jess, (my daughter), over at Write Skate Dream.  Her focus and determination to finish her novel has sparked me to be more focused on mine.  And all of you great blog friends and followers that I have met over the last year have been wonderful in supporting my writing and reminding me how much I love the creative process.


Kathy

Sparkfest!

Wow I had so much fun yesterday with Ellie Garratt's Star Trek blog fest that I had to do another one.  So today I am happily participating in Christine Tyler's Sparkfest. It runs through August 26th.  Today I am going to start with her first question.

What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer?

I don't think it was one particular book for me.  I think it was three main events which made me realize I was a writer.  Even before I could read, I wanted my Dad to read Dr. Seuss  books to me over and over again.  He read "Green Eggs and Ham" so often, he started reading it backwards (even pronouncing the words backwards).  I loved hearing the rhythm and the sounds of the words, even in reverse.

When I was a little older and could read for myself, I found Howard Pyle's The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.  I was spellbound as if by Merlin himself.  I couldn't read it enough.

Then in 5th grade, my English teacher gave weekly assignments where we had to create a story using all of our spelling words.   This was the best part of my school week.  I was in class but I entered my own made up world with scenes of lint balls "absorbing" the school and people "transforming" into bacon.  I knew that this was my calling.


Come back tomorrow to check out what inspired my current WIP.

Kathy