RTW: Where Do You Find Creative Inspiration?

From YA Highway:

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question to write about on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. This week's topic:

When you need creative inspiration, where do you go?

For me the answer is simple: away. I wish I had an actual, official getaway but sadly I do not. But the bottom line is when I'm feeling like the creative juices are on empty and I'm a little fried, I just get away from the world and all the hubbub.

A few years ago, I had my dream writer's retreat that always provided me with creative inspiration. The retreat was a family member's lake house.

Oh how I miss it...

Gorgeous!

But sadly, they recently sold it. I found a poor man's version in going out to my parent's house. But that only works when I'm house sitting and am out there for an extended period by myself. Otherwise going to visit mom and dad isn't exactly conducive to recharging the creative battery. But it is nice out there.

Country living...

Indeed.

Basically, I just need some solitude and some nature to get me recharged and eager to write again. Nature is wonderful and being near water is even better, but peace and quiet is really what I need. How about you my writer friends? And even non-writer friends. Everyone needs an escape from time to time to get their mind straight. What do you do? Where do you go?

I Am A Writer

I am a writer. I am a writer. I am a writer.  I. Am. A. Writer. I AM A WRITER!

Man that felt good...

I'm announcing it to the world because finally I've admitted it to myself. I am a writer. This is who I am and this is what I do. This is my chosen profession and my passion. Writing is my calling. It is not just a hobby. Writing is in my blood. I've always known. But I couldn't find the courage to admit it to myself and to the rest of the world... until now.

While my family has always be supportive, I've never been encouraged to wholeheartedly follow my dream. I was pushed to quietly do it in my spare time when I wasn't working my real job. Be an adult, be responsible, and if there's still time, then make yourself happy. That's no way to live. So I'm done. And coming to that realization feels amazing.

Happy Dance!

All of my adult life I've been stuck in a revolving door of dead-end jobs and supposed golden opportunities that were going to give me the freedom to do what I really wanted while still maintaining the facade of being a responsible, employed adult. But every job, every position, every career has been nothing more than an obstacle keeping me from my true calling. Not anymore.

Late last year my distraction du jour was real estate. I got my license and was ready to conquer the world. And then, not so much. That profession has recently been put to bed. This weekend, I mailed in the paperwork to put my license on inactive status (meaning I could reactivate it with the state at some point down the line) and I can no longer practice real estate in Ohio. I realize this would normally be a sad announcement but I'm thrilled. That was the last one. I'm no longer anything put a writer. I'm not a real estate agent nor am I a customer relations representative, a social media leader, a sales associate, a bridal consultant, a receptionist, a security dispatcher... Man, that's a lot of dead-end jobs. None of those jobs brought me joy. None of those jobs were leading me toward a bright future. All they ever did was stress me out and get in the way of my real dream.

I realize I'm rambling here but I'm okay with that. Because finally admitting to myself and the world that I'm done with everything else that is getting in my way is just so liberating. I can't help it.

So there you have it. My name is Stephanie and I am a writer. Woo hoo!

First Ever Friday Finds!

Hooray! It's Friday. And this is my first ever Friday Finds!

(Source)

As I just started this today and haven't been trolling for links all week, the list is short. But I hope to share more fun, insightful, interesting or just plain silly links that I've gathered over the week on each Friday Finds.

• First up, The Bi-Polar Writer. Cracked me up. Not only was this post a pretty accurate depiction of my day-to-day struggles with writing, it also gave some sound advice.
• "I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so, so.... scared!" Any blog post that can incorporate a Jessie Spano reference without losing its credibility is a winner in my book. And Five Things to Consider, Aspiring Writer does just that. It's chalk full of insights for aspiring writers and an excuse to watch a SBTB snippet on YouTube. Yahtzee!
• Finally, I did a lot of updating to my blog list. While I didn't necessarily call out each post on it's own, I do feel the need to point out some of the stellar blogs that I've added to said blog list. Check them out.

I thought I had more legit Friday Finds to share. But then I realized the only other posts I had to share were all from the Tumbler News Cat Gifs. Here are some of my favorites:

"When I go to cover an event and I am told I cannot get in"

"When I'm trying to learn from a webinar"

"When someone brings food to the newsroom"

And my personal favorite...



"When you are accused of misquoting someone and you play back the tape"

Hopefully next week's Friday Finds will be a bit more productive. Happy Friday y'all!



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