So many things inspire me: personally and professionally. I take something away from every blog post I read or every comment in AQC’s forums. Sometimes I feel challenged, and sometimes I feel contented. Almost always, I feel inspired.
The writing community as a whole is expressive, supportive and inspiring in their perseverence and dedication. In that respect, I hope you take something away from this post as I accept The Versatile Blogger award.
The Rules
1. Thank and link to the person who nominated me: Dean C. Rich over at The Write Time, Brittany Roshelle at The Write Stuff and A Story Every Day. You three are awesome and I really appreciate that you thought of me–especially when I consider the other inspiring nominations listed at each of your sites.
2. Share seven random facts about myself. May they inspire you to remember good times in your life.
3. Pass the award along to 5 new-found blogging buddies.
Random Facts: As a child, I spent countless hours running wild on our farm with my sister. We indulged in many games of make-believe, utilized our farm’s nooks and crannies in their totality and created a whole ‘nother life for ourselves outside the confines of our house.
During the summers, we lived in a tree in the pasture. We called this “home” and created rooms within the monstrous canopy. While hiding out there, we could spy on see the entire farmstead. This tree house prompted us to find creative suites for our sleepovers rather than simply hosting pajama parties in our bedrooms.
Once we slept on the roof of the horse barn. We tied our blankets so we wouldn’t slide down in the middle of the night. Another time, we carved out a home in the wood pile. I think we slept five in our rustic log cabin. But for the life of me, I can’t remember if we built that before or after we made an entire hotel out of wooden pallets. Our unique sleeping arrangements were always decked out to the fullest and came with room service…er, at least it did when someone drew the short end of the straw bale and had to run in and scavenge snacks for the rest of us.
When we really felt like roughing it–because those abodes were obviously palatial–we would hike through the neighbor’s woods to our parent’s property (Little Woods) and camp out in the ice house despite the lack of plumbing and electricity. After telling ghost stories all night, we would rise with the sun and cook corn meal mush over the campfire, Little House on the Prairie style.
Those middle grade years were the best times of my entire childhood. In many ways, I credit our unique adventures for my passion of all things juvenile. Thanks, Big Sis!
Other peeps who have inspired me: check my blog roll (which is in the process of getting updated) and SKELETON KEY authors, as well as AqentQuery Connect to meet scads of writers whom I admire for their support, dedication, energy and jovial attitudes in the face of the ever-changing publishing world.
Peeps you may not already know who inspire me greatly:
- Gene Lempp. Not only does he write a vastly informative blog, he also took me under his marketing wing. Thanks to him, my blog subscriptions have doubled and my daily hits have sky-rocketed. He inspires me to take myself seriously.
- Sakura over at Keeping it in Canon. I met Sakura on AQC when she joined my critique group. This gal takes poetic prose to a whole new level. Every time I read a passage of hers, I feel humbled–and inspired to be a better writer.
- Indigo over at Shattered Prose. Indigo makes me examine myself and my world in new ways. Her words inspire me to to feel passionately when it can be so dang easy to take things for granted.
- Victoria Dixon at The Ron Empress. Victoria is super supportive and highly intuitive. She writes with a passion that reflects the kind of soul she is in real life. Victoria inspires me to reach for my goals and never give up.
- Yvonne Osborne at The Organic Writer. Yvonne’s writing should grace those daily, desktop calendars. Her insightful flash fiction inspires me to be a better person.
So, there you go. Besides learning about my wild-child years, you’ve been exposed to a few of the writers who inspire and support me in my daily writing endeavors.
Who inspires you on a personal or professional level? How do your past experiences play into your present life as a writer? Who lent you a helping hand at a time when they had nothing to gain? Why do you do the same for others?
Curious minds want to know.
Words from the Woods 