STARTING THE YEAR WITH INSPIRATION

Well, I’m off to a good start.  I’ve already taken care of my first goal of the year, Submit entire Steampunk script for review.  Now I just have to wait to see when my turn comes up in my GLAWS screenwriting critique group.

In the meantime I have cleared off my desk of distractions and surrounded myself with things that inspire me.  The things that inspire me represent what’s important to me.  And in many cases, part of why I write.  Let’s take a closer look and I’ll explain:

My “One Piece” wall scroll.  I’m a big anime fan and this is one of my favorites.  If you’re not familiar with it, it’s about Monkey D. Luffy, the guy in the center.  He calls himself a pirate, and he wants to become king of the pirates.  To do that, he searches for the treasure left behind by the previous king of the pirates, Gold Roger.  At his execution, Roger said who ever found his treasure would be the new king, and that he left it all in one piece.

But Luffy is not really a pirate.  He’s a treasure hunter.  The only treasure he is interested in is One Piece.  He has left many other treasures behind for people in need.  They have fought many other pirates along the way.  If Luffy and his crew befriend you, they will fight to the death for you.  Additionally, each member of his crew has their own goal they want to achieve.  So while they’re having adventures in a very imaginative world, the show has very strong themes of loyalty, helping others, and striving for one’s goals.  All of which are important attributes to me.  My steampunk script is very strong on family loyalty and helping others.

On each side of the wall scroll are my badges and ribbons from the last three Gallifrey Conventions.  I’m a big Doctor Who fan way back from the ‘80s.  Again, a man who comes in out of the blue and fights for those in trouble.  See a theme yet?  I’m also a big Steve Moffat fan, the show’s Show Runner and major writer.  I consider Steve Moffat my writing guru, but that’s a whole blog post in itself.

On my cork board I have flyers for books on writing I want to buy – although I have five or six I haven’t read yet.  Always keep learning.  Don’t ever think you know enough.  A post card from the League of STEAM.  They’re like steampunk Ghost Busters.  Check them out on YouTube.  I also have my name badges from the American Red Cross.  Being a regular blood donor and hosting blood drives are ways I help others.  And I have some flyers from Carl’s Junior and Wendy’s.  Sometimes I just want a burger!

Some people put up a vision board.  That’s a good idea, too.  It’ keeps you focused on your goals.  But I just want to write for a living.  So what am I going to put up there, a picture of a typewriter?  I’m not really after awards like a Hugo or Nebula or Oscar.  I just want to be able to make a living at what I love doing.  Maybe I should put up a dollar bill.  Someday I will have a copy of my first check for writing up there.

Then there’s my pony shelf.  Where should I start with My Little Pony?  See my post from 9/22/15, “Bronies Anonymous”.  It’s my latest fandom and I’m proud of it!

Finally, there’s my wallpaper.  This ties back to my pony shelf.  If you’re not familiar with the show, the blue pony (pegasus, actually) to the right is Rainbow Dash.  She’ll be the first to tell you that she’s the greatest athlete in Ponyville – but she can back up that claim.  Yes, sometimes she can be a bit arrogant, but you won’t find anypony more loyal than her.  The younger Pegasus in bed is Scootaloo, Rainbow’s biggest fan.  Scootaloo was looking for a mentor to take her under their wing, a big sister.  And Rainbow Dash agreed to do so.

You can see from the hot soup and box of tissue that Scootaloo is sick.  Now it’s one thing to say you’ll be someone’s big sister, it’s another to really mean it.  Here, Rainbow has taken the time to visit Scootaloo and share her favorite book.  She is not only reading to Scootaloo, she is cosplaying the hero of the book, Darring Do.  It’s a simple act, but it’s full of love.

On the wall there are pictures of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo with her two best friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell, and a picture of Princess Luna who helped her overcome her greatest fear.  So there is a lot of love going on in this picture.   That’s why it inspires me.

Which is a whole discussion for another time.  Don’t just be inspired, inspire others.  Write what moves you.  If your story doesn’t move you, chances are it won’t move anyone else, either.