Music, Books, Art, Photos: What's Your Creative Inspiration?

Yesterday I stayed home and nursed the flu, but today I'm tough. I'm looking forward to talking to you about inspiration...what makes you "tick!" For me, it's a number of things, and I try to mix things up from time to time. Pictures of places, events, and friends inspire me, as does music. I have writing teacher friends who incorporate art, photographs and movies into writing lessons because they provide inspiration for creative thought. We'll try it all!

It's interesting how different writers respond to the stimuli of music, or movies, or art. Honestly, sometimes I am distracted by any noise at all (if I'm having a really hard time concentrating), but usually I really enjoy writing to all kinds of music. I do believe the kind of music I hear affects the way I write. (It was no surprise to learn about Stephen King's preference of writing to the sound of heavy metal!)

I am not sure how to link music to the blog yet, but would enjoy providing music to accompany different posts. Think about what kind of music would connect to your writing or your life. Art is also inspiring, as are movies. Please be looking for a snapshot to bring in one day next week for a writing activity.
Today I will talk to you about music. It is such a vital part of my household, and even though my own kids are not always home to provide the live piano, cello, trombone, guitar, and flute concerts, my pets and I still savor the music we have. As you can see from this photo, Riley is camped out under the piano, hoping for some musical entertainment!

I included this picture of Katie with her cat Simon. I'm thinking about using a series of photos like this to tell a "digital" story about her inspiration (which is really mine, of course) ...what makes her "tick!"

As you are reading To Kill A Mockingbird, readers often wonder about what inspired author Harper Lee to write this novel. I found it interesting that in one of her few interviews (she shuns attention) she was quoted as saying that it was a "love story." Truly her love for her father, her childhood home, and the lives that touched her inspired her to write this American classic.