Where do you find your Inspiration???

For years, I wrote down my ideas and worked on my outlines and rough drafts, but that was all. I looked down and had dozens of both, but unless I wanted to build another room to house my ideas, I needed to finish this and edit that. It was a moment of ‘omg, where do I start…’ and I didn’t have a clue. Then I saw something on twitter about National Writers Month (#NaNoWriMo). The organization is great. They have the main event in Nov. for #NaNoWriMo, and camp comes in july (#campnanowrimo) … I think there is even a month dedicated to the junior wordmonger.

But what do you need, what do you get out of it, and why should you bother???

hummmm…

Hey, this may be camp, but that doesn’t mean you have to go outdoors. I mean, l love nature and all the beautiful landscapes that are available … but … bugs. I said it, bugs. I am too old to fight off bugs, use natures outhouse (or even a camp restroom), and sleep on the hard unforgiving ground.

Even those lovely foldout beds, that can be put into place with the ease of a lawn chair, is a no-go for this Kentucky gal. I want to ride the horses, wade in the stream, take some amazing photos … and then go home. So indoor camp is it for me. Plus, s’mores can be made anywhere. yummmm. A bottle of wine, a bag of goodies, and some upclass camp junk food. Dang, now I’m hungry.

But camp isn’t about the food, or the bedding. It’s about the people. I am still friends with the first two women I met at camp, a Canadian word-lover and an Ohio wordsmith.  We still get on Facebook to chat, trash talk, and when needed … we support each other in our current projects. So the inspiration you can find at CampNaNoWriMo, or one of the similar online get togethers, is something that you can take with you. Something that you can depend on throughout the year, not just the month that you bust your arse to reach that 50k word goal line. Even if you never reach 50k words, the connections and friends are important.

But just because I enjoy my comforts (the bed is sooo not mine), don’t think I miss out on the wildlife… say hello to Froggy Assassin in the picture below …..

Writing is a solitary event for the most part. But every once in a while it is good to get out of you writer’s cave, take a look around, and stretch your legs. We have to go out in the world in order to keep the ideas and voices flowing. Stroll through the local fruit market, wonder around the towns surrounding chosen vacation spot, or my favorite outdoor activity … stop at a random exit. When I’m coming home from some roadtrip or out of town necessity, I watch the signs that promote the attractions for the upcoming exits. My last trip ended with a stop along the Ky-Tn border. Mom and I stopped for lunch at this little outdoor museum. They had houses from the old days, and lots of animals walking around. The little store had some of the crafts from the area, and the back of the store housed a little deli with homemade goodies. We had some of the best cobbler I have ever tasted, and I’m not normally a cobbler lover.

In essences, inspirations can be found anywhere. Indoors and out, you just need to be open to trying something new. You can tackle the word sprints with your NaNoWriMo camp mates, or soak up the off the beaten path attractions. Just have fun, and then write it down… 😛 … Happy Wordage, Tracey Clark

Here are some of the photos from my off the beaten path stop…