Inspiration for Stories

I'm still in house renovation chaos. So, I thought I'd share this like with you. Enjoy these real life story starters.

15 Real Life Inspirations for Great Stories

What has inspired your stories?

Read Any Good Books Lately?

When we had to push all our furniture into less than half of our floorspace, I find I don't get much writing done. Guess what I'm doing? Yep, READ! ; ) So, here are some mini-reviews for you.

A Sound Among the Trees Susan Meissner
Must Read for honest, detailed characterization, pitch prefect dialog, and setting that lives and breaths.

Rowing in Eden Barbara Rogan
Must Read for how a professional weaves plot, 3-D characters, internals, and dialog into a wonderful story.

Paladin of Souls Lois McMaster Bujold
Must Read for the 3-D characters who portray what heroic really means and a universe that is as multidimensional as the people in it. This is a fantasy and the sequel to The Curse of Chalion. Read Curse first.

Matters of Faith Kristy Kiernan
An good read that provides an intricate story that investigates faith from many angles during a life and death health crisis.

The Scarlet Thread Francine Rivers
Good story in an older style. A CBA classic.

Now I'm reading Anne Tyler's Searching for Caleb.

What are you reading?
Do you have any suggestions for my massive TBR list?

What Can You Do About That?

What do you do if your computer is off limits most of the time and your workspace is disrupted? Can you shift to longhand for awhile? or will all your forward progress die?

I've had to answer these questions for the next couple of weeks.

The Situation:
We live in an "Old Lady House" that needs regular TLC. Check out this old blogpost for some more on the housework.  As you can see, it is always a work in progress.

And the time has come that we must refloor. We don't have a choice. We have to put down new sub flooring, carpet, and tile. The study is one of the rooms on the to do list.

The Solution:
I'm happy to say, I've figured out how to keep working. ; )
The writing desk I use to draft longhand has been moved to the solarium. I have a backlog of writing magazines I need to read and a book on parenting that I need to read for research for FRIENDLY FIRE. Add several other projects I've been putting off, and I'm being very productive while John paints, hammers, and works in the study, living room, dining room, etc.

So, what about you?
Do you have contingency plans for a "rainy day" of writing?

Writer's Block: Scientific Proof

We've all had a bout of Writer's Block--that dangerous time when no words come to mind and the page remains blank. Some prolific writers like Diana Gabaldon claim that there is no such thing. Her method for avoiding the problem is to have multiple projects open at all times. When one slows down, she just switches to the other and keeps on writing.

While I'll admit to having multiple projects--a devotional and 5 novels at last count--I do find that some days none of them seem to be open for business in my front brain. I do write down any idea that comes out of my back brain into the light of day no matter which project it belongs to, but still some days, the door between to two parts of my brain is closed, locked up tight. No amount of effort allows me to find the key.

Now there's scientific proof that Writer's Block exists in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Check out the following article:
"The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of  'Writer's Block' "
If you've every struggled with writer's block, you owe it to yourself to read this article.

Enjoy! ; )

ETA: For more fun with Writer's Block, try this A Word A Day entry. ; )