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Monthly Status Report
I haven’t done much writing in January. I think this is rather normal, too. I am okay with it because I know that I will come back to it. That probably isn’t the right attitude for someone who wants to go pro, but I only sort of want to “go pro”, so it’s probably fine for me. I am not planning on ever quitting my day job, so I can have a more relaxed attitude towards my writing.
I’ve been doing a lot more studying and learning rather than actual production. I finished a big beta project and now I am listening to podcasts during my writing time. It will all help in the end.
Optional Monthly Question
Every month, there is an optional question you can answer. I like them because they usually allow me to share more about myself as a writer and as a person in a way I might not have thought of myself. So, here is this month’s question:
February 5 question – Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it?
You know? I can’t actually remember this ever happening. I remember a news story inspiring a serial killer novel, and no, I didn’t ever finish it. And then the song “My Snow White Queen” by Evanescence inspired my Snow White fairy tale retelling, which I did finish — well, the first draft anyway — but a photo or visual art? I can’t think of one.
Which is kind of sad because I do love visual art. But I can’t think of any stories that were actually inspired by it. But now that the question has arisen, it is something I can think of when I see art. Ask my muse if there is more to the story than what I see in the image. New perspectives are always welcome!
INSECURE WRITER’S SUPPORT GROUP
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Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Twitter is @TheIWSG Hashtag: #IWSG
And here are the awesome co-hosts for the January 8 posting of the IWSG!
Lee Lowery
Ronel Janse van Vuuren
Jennifer Hawes
Cathrina Constantine
Tyrean Martinson
That’s cool that a song inspired you to write your story. It appears you are in a good phase with your writing! Keep it up.
Thank you! Yes, inspiration is everywhere!
Songs are excellent story fodder. You get poetry and mood music in one package! Happy writing in February.
I agree. And thanks for the well wishes! Happy writing in February yourself!
Now you’re aware and will be thinking about it when you look at pictures. That might be enough to spark a story.
Good point! Having things moved to awareness is often useful.
I was stuck for one, too. Music can help me write a particularly difficult scene, but it doesn’t ignite an entire story. I listened to Brothers In Arms, Dire Straits when I wrote a firefight that took place in Vietnam. The song and the scene seemed to go hand in hand. Alex is right. Now that the seed has been planted…
Great! I think inspiring scenes rather than whole stories is still useful, and your example sounds fascinating. I bet that scene is very rich.
I think serial killer novels are my berries. I tried some as elephants, and that was a long time to live in a very dark place. My whole life brightened up a lot, when I went to work on more cheerful things.
Yes, that was one of the reasons I stopped working on it. I was writing in first person from the POV of the serial killer, and it really scared me. I also felt I needed to know more about things/research and felt overwhelmed about that part of it.