I bet you all thought I’d forgotten, didn’t you? I am a little preoccupied at the moment with the conclusion of Children of the Resolution, but Mike and I agree that it’s about time we got the ball rolling so, without further ado I’d like to announce our first group topic and introduce you to a new idea that Mike had.
Firstly, this month’s topic. After much consideration (okay, a little consideration) the title for our group piece will be My Fiction and Me. In it, each member should introduce the other group members to the kind of fiction they write or enjoy reading and explain a little about how it relates to them — why it inspires/drives them etc. This piece should be posted on July the first. I’m not sure how we’re going to link to each other’s posts, yet, but I’m sure we’ll work that one out as we go along. Maybe a follow-up piece from each of us will be required. We shall see.
Secondly, Mike hit on the idea of also having a monthly discussion — hosted on the blog of the member choosing the monthly topic. How it will work is very simple. The member in question announces the above-mentioned monthly topic and sets a date for the piece to be posted. In the same blog post, they also start a fiction-related discussion. The two should not really be directly related… that’d probably get a bit repetitive.
With this in mind, it’s probably best if I just get on with it. So, to reiterate, this month’s group topic is entitled My Fiction and Me and should be posted on July the first — and today’s discussion is…
Inspiration — Do You Find It, Or Does It Find You?
I’ve always found that inspiration comes at the strangest of times, at least with regard the “big ideas”. But I’m usually in a receptive frame of mind beforehand. I go looking, trying things on for size and generally doing my best to examine the everyday from a different angle. The inspiration for a new novel can be a simple thing like a spoken phrase, or a major world event — but it will seldom affect me whilst I’m working on another project… unless I’m nearing the end and consciously thinking about what I want to do next, as is now the case.
As far as the inspiration to write on a daily basis is concerned, I tend not to feel it’s a question of “inspiration” for me. I don’t wait for the muse to tap me on the shoulder and tell me to get on with it. If I did that, I’d probably never write single word. I write because it’s what I do. Unless I’m ill.
So what about you?
(Incidentally, if you’re not an Idiosyncratica member but would still like to contribute to this discussion, please feel free. I doubt anyone here will object.)
