Inspiration - Part II

Last week I posted a picture of an old church I use as inspiration for writing, but I have another source of inspiration I'd like to share. My garden.



I took these pictures this morning. As you can see, the arrival of fall has converted my brightly colored garden into a dreary mess. While most people (like my wife) would find this depressing, I have to admit that seeing my garden like this fills me with a certain joy. It's not that I'm into death and decay or anything. But this picture reminds me that it's fall - my favorite time of year - with long, mysterious nights, leaves blowing eerily across the yard, and the feeling that everything we took for granted over the summer is fading away. It reminds me of graveyards and old stone buildings and empty castles. It what I think living in and around Hogwarts must feel like.

As long as I'm working on my Hogwarts book, or any subsequent books (which will almost surely include castles and magic), October and November will always be my most inspirational (and productive) times of the year

I've spent enough time talking. Time to get back to my story. Novermber will be over soon!

Heating Vent Zombies Are Back!

Two posts ago, I said something about the end of heating vent zombies. [Shakes snow off feet] Nevermind! Damn Michigan weather!

Heating Vent Zombies

Yes! We hit 80 degrees yesterday here in Michigan. Must have brought this awesome weather back with us from Florida. If we're lucky, this may just mean the end of heating vent zombies.

Creative Writing During a Blizzard

Some of my best creative thinking comes during my 55 minute commute to and from work every day. It’s almost all highway driving, with only light traffic, so I’m free to let my mind wander about in whichever chapter interests me at the moment. Many of my best ideas have come during this commute. The trick is to remember them long enough so I can commit them to paper at the end of the drive. I keep a small voice recorder in the car for just such purposes along with a pad of paper for those times I’m stuck at traffic lights.

The last two days have not been very creative. Instead, I’ve been concentrating on just keeping the car on the road. I live in the Detroit area and many of you are probably aware we had some snow up here on Sunday night. Only 4 inches or so, not nearly as much as some other states received, but still enough to snarl up traffic for a day or two. Unfortunately, despite the two hour commute to work on Monday, not a single creative thought popped into my head. At least none having to do with the story. Here’s a partial list of the things I was thinking about instead.

#1. Some of the drivers up here must have come from the southern part of the country or at least somewhere where they are not used to driving in snow.

#2. Just because you have a truck or SUV does not mean you can drive faster than everyone else on icy roads. If the roads are covered with snow, fine; but when the snow had turned into sheets of ice, you will have just as much trouble stopping as we do in a car. In many cases we will be able to stop more quickly than you. Don’t drive like an idiot.

#3. I now know where the county lines are placed. The difference in drivability between different counties was noticeable.

Back to writing!