Inspiration for Writers

So, we all know about the normal resources for writers. There are awesome blogs done by everyone in the business from authors to agents to editors. Plus, there are certain books that every writer should have on their shelf like Self-Editing for the Fiction Writer by Browne & King. But, today, I'd like to talk about some of the unsung resources. Or, at least, I consider them resources, because without them I wouldn't be able to be as creative as I like to think I am.

I'm talking about inspiration, people. We, as writers, are in the business of creating. What we do is basically an art form. Heck, there's no "basically" about it, it IS an art form. So, here are some of the things that are must-haves for me as a writer.

1. Music - I like to figure out what type of music my characters would listen to or what type of soundtrack my book would have if it were a movie. With my last novel, it was mostly dreamy, quirky, pretty stuff like Ellie Goulding, Imogen Heap, and Jonsi. But my new book has a completely different feel. I went on Facebook and asked my friends for recommendations that had a certain vibe. People are always willing to share their taste in music. Pandora.com is a wonderful site for this. Just put in a couple of artists or songs and Pandora will play things similar to them.

2. Art - Deviantart.com, people, check it out. Especially if you're writing fantasy or sci-fi, the pieces on that site are so inspiring, it's ridiculous.

3. Tumblr - You must walk a tightrope with this one, folks, because it will suck you in. Music, art, gifs, videos, it's all there.

4. Favorite things - This one might just be me and my weirdo self, but I find that if I have a box of my favorite candy or a tall glass of cherry coke sitting on my desk, I'm happy. And, I don't know about you but, a happy writer makes for a happy word count. I don't know how many times just putting on my fuzzy socks got me through a writer's block.

5. Friends & Family - For me, this is the most important. Sure, my husband might suggest a gem of an idea for that scene I'm stuck on, but that's not the real reason I need him and all the rest of my wonderful circle of people. I need their support, plain and simple. I need them to stroke my ego when I've just written a (IMO) beautiful sentence. I need their "It'll be okay"s and "You'll figure it out"s when I'm deadlocked. I need my kids to be cute for those times when I need a distraction.

So, that's it. The five things that are essential to my process. What kind of crazy things or not-so-crazy things are important to your writing? Let me know in the comments!

YouTube Tuesday

So, yes, I consider myself a Nerdfighter! NERDFIGHTERS HOOOO! Anybody get the Thundercats reference? If you did, you're cool. Anyway, I've been watching the Vlogbrothers for a while. John and Hank Green are the awesomeness! I can't express how much they've kind of, not trying to be dramatic here, changed my life. Their motto, don't forget to be awesome, might not sound that deep, but, really, it's a very complex statement. It reminds me that everyday we have a chance to be awesome. A lot of us, myself included, just float through life waiting for something to happen to us. Waiting for that one spectacular thing to change us and our life. But, what I didn't realize, is that if I just made an effort, if I took control, the amount of spectacularness could be increased from one to infinity as long as I DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!

That said, I'd like to recommend the Vlogbrothers on this YouTube Tuesday. Here is their most recent video:

Also, can I just say that I LOVE Tumblr! I stole my writer buddies' (*waves* Hi Stef!) idea and created one that is pretty much dedicated to inspiration for my new WIP which I'm about a third of the way through with the first draft. So, check it out or don't or save it for later, ya know, whatevs: http://dftbaleah.tumblr.com/ Also, go check out Stefanie's because hers is all types of alien awesoneness: http://stefaniegaither.tumblr.com/

And that's it! Hope you all have an AWESOME Tuesday! And if you have any YouTube channels that you love, share in the comments :)