Once Upon An Inspiration: Making The Dream Come True
I had an inspiration once
I had an inspiration once . . .
You wanted to write a novel, a short story or a play, a bedtime tale for your children, or perhaps a movie script.
But.
It doesnt matter what followed that word or what stopped you from bringing your inspiration to life. It didnt happen, and somehow your dream became what might have been. Maybe you read this column last month and thought, I can do that, and yet thirty days later the pressures of life and family and things-to-do derailed your plans once more.
This month were going to change that.
The good news is youre not alone, and the better news is that your inspiration neednt falter and die. You may think the dream is beyond you or that you havent got the time to make it work. Heres a secret all successful writers know: nobody has the time. The difference between success and a dream is a choice to make the time.
But how?
Lets take a look at eight different ways successful writers budget time and give substance to inspiration.
1. Carry a notebook everywhere. Jot down ideas on the spot so you wont forget them or have to re-create them from fading memories. It takes only a few words to preserve inspiration. When you get home, transfer your notes to a binder or file you set up for ideas in progress so you can find them quickly when you decide to write.
2. Any sixty minutes make an hour. Dont let a lack of unified time become an excuse for failure. Many successful authors start out by writing in very small increments. Write during your break or lunch hour. Write for ten minutes before you go to sleep. You can even write during your childrens tests or while they fill in their worksheets. Remember: Parents can have homework too! At first you may struggle to focus, but dont give up. Little steps still move you toward completion, and writing gets easier with practice.
3. Set reasonable goals. You wouldnt start an exercise plan with three hours of running a daywhy expect to write your first novel in a month? Unreasonable goals at the gym lead to failed fitness, and wildly aggressive writing plans fail too, especially if you dont have hours to dedicate each day. Cant manage a chapter a week? Try a chapter a month, or longer if necessary. Find a pace that works for you at first and increase it over time. Meeting your goals will renew inspiration and help you stay on track.
4. Find a writers groupor create one. Accountability encourages progress, and authors draw inspiration from interacting with other writers. Your group may consist of strangers, friends, or teenage sons and daughters with inspirations of their own. You can meet online or in person, once a week or once a month. The key is finding others who share your dream to provide encouragement, advice, and honest critique. The best writing groups consist of writers at different stages of experience and progress. Dont be shy! Writers love to talk about writing, and any contact with other writers is better than walking the road alone.
5. Say something now, and fix it in editing. Dont worry about getting it right the first time. A completed novel takes several drafts and many hours of revision. The same is true of short stories, plays, and every other creative work. Editing during the writing process bogs you down and discourages completion. Remind yourself often: First drafts are for putting words on the page. Correction comes later, in rewrites and future drafts. You can fix any mistakeas long as you give yourself something to repair.
6. Persevere. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Inspiration provides the spark that sends you off the starting line, but that early burst of energy wont take you all the way to the end of the race. When you reach the middleand inspiration flagsperseverance is key to reaching the finish line.
7. Stuck? Try research. Sometimes writers block is nothing more than a lack of information. Your character needs to draw her sword, but you dont know how heavy a blade she would use or whether a woman could wield that weapon left-handed. Thats where research comes in. Find a book, read the Internet, or talk to an expert in the field. Research doesnt just answer your questions; it sparks inspiration too. When you find the information you need youll return to your project excited and eager to put those new facts to good use. And if research has you flummoxed . . . Aprils Inspired Homeschooler column will take you on a research field trip and teach you to find all the information you need to bring your inspired ideas to life.
8. When you fall off the horse, climb back on. The road to success is littered with discarded novels and stories that failed because authors allowed a setback to derail them permanently. Emergencies, family issues, and daily life will interfere with your writing progress, and thats not an if; its a when. No matter how determined you are, at some point youll look up and realize that weeksor monthshave passed since you tried to write. Dont despair. Instead, pick up the pen and move on. Dont let a setback cost you a dream.
I dont have the time and maybe next year are recipes for writing disaster. In the game of might have been, the buts always win. Dont let that happen to you! Grab your notebook and dust off that inspiration.
Make this the year that you decide to make the time and make your writing dream come true.
Susan Spann is a partner in the law firm Llewellyn Spann, where she specializes in copyright, trademark, and corporate law. Formerly a professor at Trinity Law School in Santa Ana, California, she currently teaches business law at William Jessup University.
Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the February 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free TOS apps to read the magazine on your Kindle Fire or Apple or Android devices.
by: Susan Spann
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