Once Upon an
Inspiration: Making the Dream Come True
Susan Spann
“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 doesn’t matter what followed that word or what stopped you from
bringing your inspiration to life. It didn’t 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 we’re going to change that.
The good news is you’re not alone, and the better news is that your
inspiration needn’t falter and die. You may think the dream is beyond you or
that you haven’t got the time to make it work. Here’s 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?
Let’s 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 won’t 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. Don’t 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 children’s tests
or while they fill in their worksheets. Remember: Parents can have homework
too! At first you may struggle to focus, but don’t give up. Little steps still
move you toward completion, and writing gets easier with practice.
3. Set reasonable goals. You wouldn’t start an exercise plan
with three hours of running a day—why 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 don’t have hours to
dedicate each day. Can’t 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’ group—or 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. Don’t 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. Don’t 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 mistake—as 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 won’t take you all the way to the end of the race. When you reach the
middle—and inspiration flags—perseverance is key to reaching the finish line.
7. Stuck? Try research. Sometimes “writer’s block” is nothing
more than a lack of information. Your character needs to draw her sword, but
you don’t know how heavy a blade she would use or whether a woman could wield
that weapon left-handed. That’s where research comes in. Find a book, read the
Internet, or talk to an expert in the field. Research doesn’t just answer your
questions; it sparks inspiration too. When you find the information you need
you’ll return to your project excited and eager to put those new facts to good
use. And if research has you flummoxed . . . April’s 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 that’s
not an “if”; it’s a “when.” No matter how determined you are, at some point
you’ll look up and realize that weeks—or months—have passed since you tried to
write. Don’t despair. Instead, pick up the pen and move on. Don’t let a setback
cost you a dream.
“I don’t have the time” and
“maybe next year” are recipes for writing disaster. In the game of “might have
been,” the “buts” always win. Don’t 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
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