Thursday's Writing Essential

Greetings, Gather writers! Now that the holidays are drawing to a close, and the winter weather will undoubtedly linger, many of us are faced with a case of the doldrums. It's perfectly natural. We're a little weary, a little worn out and often feeling a slight bit uninspired. This is perfectly okay...for a short time. But as writers, we need to "snap out of it," as the old tired phrase dictates, and gain some worthwhile writing inspiration.

"How do we do that?"

I'm so very glad you asked. (I'm sure most of you already know the answer. Come on, fess up! Stop pretending you don't know!)

We read.

I'm an avid reader. In fact I typically have more than one book going at the same time. There are always two selections on my nightstand. There's one on the end table in my living room, and a pile of magazines on the island in my kitchen. When I leave the house for appointments I take reading material on the off chance I might find myself stranded in a waiting room for a blissful half hour of reading pleasure. I truly love to read.

Reading fuels my idea bank for writing. It enhances my vocabulary and gives me new ideas for character development and dialogue. I read a lot of different types of books. Sometimes I read books intended for writers. More often I read books on topics I enjoy.

A book that stands out as inspiring me as a writer is offbeat for writing inspiration, but taught me a lot about myself and about my need to write. The Stand by Stephen King was a lengthy read. It took the better part of a summer to read it many years back. It has absolutely nothing to do with writing but it tapped into my desire to write about the forces of good versus the forces of evil. My beliefs interpret this as God against Satan. I've gone on to write a lot on this subject in many tangible yet diversified ways.

In today's Writing Essential I'd like to know what book or books inspired you to write. You needn't be a professional to respond. Simply talk about your choice or choices and why they are important to you as a writer. I'll look forward to reading these articles throughout the day!