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.

Curl Up With a Great Book

We are also starting To Kill A Mockingbird today, and I'll be handing out a reading schedule so that you can know ahead of each class exactly what chapters we'll be discussing. This might enable those of you with busy schedules to plan ahead! You might be curious about the title of the book, so in case you are wondering what a mockingbird looks like, this is a picture of one.

Rest up. We're starting my favorite book. It's important to understand that this is historical fiction; it reads like a true story. It tell us so much about the setting. I can't imagine growing up in times like those described: not enough food to feed families, issues of gender and race, jobs at a minimum, loss of hope and fear in the atmosphere. All the same, the world seems a simple place as described by Scout, and even through all the hard times, the picture she paints of childhood and innocence is appealing.

As I am rereading, I am thinking about impressions I first had as I read the first few chapters. The way our narrator sees the world, she seems so grown up for such a small child. It must be her relationship with her father, which seems more adult somehow. Reading the newspaper over Atticus's shoulder, trying to explain the Cunninghams' ways to Miss Caroline, Scout seems wiser than her years.

What rich and wonderful narrative Mockingbird offers. Don't be discouraged if you find an inordinate number of words to decipher. Scout is a wise woman and precocious child. Somehow Harper Lee's simple way of capturing small town Southern life in the Great Depression has a powerful message for us all.

Powerful Passages from Katie

Thoughts from Katie the Blogging Dog...

In curling up with a good book tonight, I came across a passage from a speech written in 1854 by Chief Seattle to President Pierce. I sniffed this out:

"All things share the same breath...the beast, the tree, the human...
What are people without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone,
people would die from loneliness of spirit."

I do think my mistress and family would be lonely without me. Chief Seattle was a very compassionate man. He asked not for money or even land for his people, but he asked that, "The white man treat the beasts of the land as his brothers. . ." I wonder what he would think today.

These lines were taken from a book written by Gloria Steinem entitled Revolution From Within, and I picked it off my mistress's book shelf, curious about what Steinem had to say about equality issues. She quotes Chief Seattle because he said that whatever "...happens to the beasts soon happens to the man. All things are connected." Interesting.

Find any interesting passages in your reading? Funny dialog? Beautiful description? Cliff hanging moments? Put them in your blog posts. It's always nice to read passages from other books to get an idea of what I might like to read next.

Tomorrow my mistress has an Odyssey quiz for you. Don't worry. I looked it over, and it's not bad if you read.

Reading Workshop and Blogging

What a joy it was to read your first postings! Today's class will be devoted to ironing out any remaining problems you may be experiencing and at last some quiet time to read independently. We'll also make some time to leave comments on classmates' posts.

Tomorrow we'll be finishing up our study of The Odyssey with a celebration of knowledge (quiz) over our reading and a final celebration of the culture!

Katie's Monday Blog

10 Curious Things About My Owner

by Katie the Blog Dog

• While my mistress was convalescing in a wheel chair with a broken wrist and ankle, I was recovering from knee surgery.
• My mistress and my Aunt Margie love to dress up their dogs in beautiful costumes...stay tuned!
• My mistress's childhood nickname was Barbie and her first boyfriend was Ken.
• We live in a menagerie with our other best friends Riley (the border collie) and our cats Savannah and Simon. Right now we also have the joy of our new grand baby in the house with her mom and dad while they prepare to build a new house. Life is rich! They have two cats as well!
• My mistress is a better driver today than she used to be. She once sideswiped her sister's garage while trying to park her car, but when she backed up to get a better aim, she ran over the water meter!
• My mistress doesn't like heights or snakes.
• She and I both wish that it was stylish to be chubby.
• She has lived in our current home for almost 21 years, the longest she's lived anywhere.
• She doesn't travel much anymore, but if she could, she'd spend the summers wandering the globe. (She'd have to travel like Liz Taylor used to with all of her pets loaded onto a beautiful ship!)
• She enjoys a cup of tea with a good book and the company of family and friends.