Finding Inspiration by JoAnn Durgin

Mark Twain Riverboat

Finding Inspiration 

Some of the world’s most notable authors have found inspiration for their literary success in interesting (and sometimes peculiar) ways. Here are a few examples. 

A Labor of Love by JoAnn Durgin

A Labor of Love

What’s the most difficult writing you’ve ever done? Perhaps it was a pesky piece of prose that wouldn’t come together. Or you lacked inspiration and the words wouldn’t flow. Or it could be the tears flowed freely because the words weighed on your heart. I recently wrote my greatest labor of love—the eulogy for my 87-year-old mother.

In fiction, we reveal the underlying layers of our characters because it makes them real and identifiable. In writing about my mom, I wanted to pay tribute to an inspiring woman from the unique perspective of being her daughter. Surprising things like how as a young, divorced mom raising two small children, she sometimes wore a black leather jacket, fire engine red lipstick, and big black sunglasses. She wasn’t rebellious, but she could be independent, feisty, and speak her mind.

When she needed a new car, she took me with her to a car dealership that advertised “Nobody walks away.” The salesman who waited on her suggested she come back with her husband. Mama, all of five feet tall, proudly rose to her feet and squared her shoulders. “Nobody walks away? Well, watch this!” Taking me by the hand, head held high, she marched out of the showroom. Then she drove straight to another dealership where she plunked down cash for a shiny new vehicle.

My mother took us on car trips every summer. With the windows rolled down, she’d belt out theme songs from musicals at the top of her lungs. She adored covered bridges and we’d travel over many country roads to find and photograph them. A fun and adventurous traveling companion, she took me to Europe several times and on a Caribbean cruise. She sent me to London for a semester. Mama did so because she wanted her child to view the world with its diverse people and cultures. The Lord knew her generosity would help make me the writer I am today. Later on, she visited the Holy Land, Egypt, Russia, Europe, Hawaii, and Alaska. After turning 60, she went whitewater rafting and parasailing.

My mother loved Jesus and studied her Bible daily. She baked countless cookies and volunteered for many projects with a wide smile and an even bigger heart. She taught kindergarten for 11 years and invested herself in her “children.” Mama gave talks to local groups, digging deep into her research and opening the eyes of her audience to topics such as human trafficking and the need for clean water in impoverished areas of the globe.

Finally, Mama was a voracious reader. She kept a journal for years where she faithfully detailed her thoughts, her life. She wasn’t perfect, but she did the best she could, and that was more than enough. If you earned her loyalty, you had it forever. If you earned her love, it was unwavering and steadfast.

This is the kind of real-life woman who can inspire a great fictional character! If you have trouble giving “life” to your characters, look no further than the people all around you. I dedicated my debut novel, Awakening, to my mother as well as my latest release, If You Believe, which was the last thing she ever read.

Portrait of JoAnn Durgin's Mother

For Mama~

You taught me by example to love words—

the wonderful images they create

and the senses they evoke—bringing

sight, touch, smell, hearing, and tasting

into glorious, vivid being.

I grew to love the way words roll off the tongue,

the way they sound.

How, when paired with other words,

words can bring new worlds to life.

You opened my mind to embrace ideas

and encouraged me to dream.

You gave me wings and

taught me to fly on my own.

You modeled strength, character, and

grace with dignity.

You showed me I could do nothing on my own

without Christ in my heart.

I’m doing my best to follow your example

and pray I’ll always make you proud.

Thank you for giving me life and

demonstrating how to live fully, confidently,

and passionately.

For that and so much more…

I love you now,

I love you always.

~JoAnn

Who has inspired you in your writing journey?

Blessings, friends,
JoAnn

Need character ideas? They're all around you!
#seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @Gr8tReads

How JoAnn Durgin's mom inspired her writing!
#seriouslywrite #encouragementforwriters via @Gr8tReads

If You Believe

If You Believe

From the author of The Lewis Legacy Series, If You Believe brings readers the story of Brendan and Edlynne. Can a man struggling with a terrible tragedy and a woman wounded by betrayal find love together?

In charming Asheville, North Carolina, nestled in the shadows of the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains, firefighter/paramedic Brendan Williams barely has time for himself much less a social life. After his world was torn apart by a family tragedy, the only woman he sees on a regular basis is Mimi, his beloved grandmother. When he meets a beautiful cake baker/decorator on his delivery route, he wonders for the first time if she could be “the one.”

Edlynne (“Edie”) Harris begins her days in a bakery downtown before dashing off to her job as a ticket agent at Asheville Regional Airport. Besides her two jobs, she volunteers for a ministry benefitting displaced and abused women. Then a handsome new delivery driver at the bakery snags her attention. She’s been fooled before, and the last guy she dated a year ago stole more than her smile.

When Edie and Brendan independently enter a Valentine’s Day contest, they’re challenged to plan the “perfect date.” For personal and unselfish reasons, they’re both determined to win the cash prize, but if chosen as finalists, they’ll be pitted against one another. Will the competition sour their growing attraction for each other, or does God have another plan? When the Almighty’s involved, anything is possible!

JoAnn Durgin

JoAnn Durgin is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty contemporary Christian romance novels, including her signature Lewis Legacy Series. A native of southern Indiana, JoAnn likes to say she’s “been around in the nicest sense of the word” after living in four states across the country before returning to her hometown with her husband and three children. When she’s not writing, JoAnn loves to travel and spend time with their first grandchild, Amelia Grace. Feel free to connect with her at https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin or via her website at https://joanndurgin.com.

Seeds of Inspiration by Mary Manners

Seeds of Inspiration

by Mary Manners

 

"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to gain insight rather than silver."

 

~ Proverbs 16:16 ~

 

Sometimes it's hard to be still and listen. The world moves at a speed-of-light pace and we as humans tend to mimic the frenzy. It's do or die, sink or swim in today's society. The desire to juggle work, family, friendships and exercise (not to mention the shelves full of books on my to-read list) can do a real number on creativity. I've recently fallen victim to this and as a result my muse has been dry as the desert sand. From where is my next storyline going to come? I longed to breach the dam and have the creativity flowing once again.

 

So, I took a deep breath and made a point to be still and listen, and it wasn't long before a co-worker of mine cured what ailed me when she returned from a recent trip to New York City. She told me of her adventures, which had to do with homemade cannoli she'd bought for her friends and a canceled flight home that blocked the delivery. As she relayed with great animation the lengths she'd gone to in order to get those cannoli (and herself) home safely, I sat fully engrossed while I laughed at every twist and turn. I listened to her hilarious antics, and didn't say a word as she went on and on with her story.

 

Then, as the story wound to a close, a funny thing happened (beside the cannoli squashed in her suitcase). Creativity began to gush as the idea for a story formed. What came was a seed...a teeny-tiny seed, but one that might very well sprout and reach toward the heavens as a mighty oak. All because I put on the brakes for a few minutes in time, and slowed long enough to listen and laugh; laughter is good, too.

 

So, when the world tells you to rev the engines and forge full-steam ahead, fight the urge and take some time to reflect and listen with both ears. You might be surprised and well-please by what will come knocking at your creative door.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Heartache and Hope

 

 

Daylin Sullivan has a passion for two things: books and food. Both help her escape from a past riddled by abandonment; she spent her childhood passed from one foster family to the next. Life has mirrored a game of musical chairs until one New Year’s Eve she stumbles upon a Dash for the Dream brochure in the local diner. The team is a faith-based group that runs marathons to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Patrick Litton is raising his six-year-old daughter Aubree alone. As the leader of Dash for the Dream, the widower works tirelessly to secure funding in search of better treatment for all those afflicted with CF, including Aubree. Patrick has no time for romance—until he meets Daylin at the Dash for the Dream kick-off party.

Daylin and Patrick don't expect to fall in love, but both learn that when it comes to romance, training for a marathon is the easiest part of their journey.



 



~~~~~



Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Neyland and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Visit Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

 

 

 



This-n-That Thursday: A Fresh Start

Years ago, while going through an exceptionally difficult time, I wondered if my life would ever be happy or even feel normal again. I prayed and leaned on God to take away the pain that fought for a home in my heart.

Then one day, while walking through my neighborhood, I noticed crocus poking up through the ground. The blooms were a sign. Spring had arrived.

Soon after, my walks included the breathtaking blooming cherry trees, rhododendrons, and azaleas—not to mention tulips and daffodils.

I closed my eyes, inhaled fresh air, and tilted my face toward the sun. I realized that spring had not only arrived due to the cycle of nature, it had come for me as well. I’d made it through my own winter, and my heart was lighter than it had been for a long time.

Spring has a way of making life look brighter. Nature coming back to life after a gloomy or cold winter gives us hope, and it helps us believe in new beginnings.

 What about you?

Are you in need of a fresh start either personally or professionally?

A drawer—or computer file—filled with rejections from publishers or agents can discourage us from trying again. Unsupportive words from family or friends may hurt and make us feel like failures. Personal schedules and responsibilities can leave us feeling like there is no time to pursue our dreams.

Did you know that if you have a caterpillar’s cocoon, and you take a razor blade and cut it open so that you can pull out the butterfly, it will never fly? In order for a butterfly to have strong wings and a solid body it needs to struggle and fight its way out of the cocoon. If we allow frustration and disappointment to come between us and our calling—our passion—our dream, then we’re like butterflies that refuse to fight their way out of their cocoons to freedom and flight.

Perhaps you’ve been banging your head against the computer screen because a story you’ve toiled over for months isn’t working. Try writing something new! Try writing in a different genre.

If you’re feeling discouraged, reach out to another writer who will understand; offer that person support, encouragement, and accountability in return for the same.

Maybe you’ve had to put your writing aside for a season in order to take care of other people or responsibilities, and now that you have time to write, it feels overwhelming to jump in again. Rejoice! You have a chance for a fresh start!

We become writers because we have large imaginations. We also believe in the power of story to entertain, teach, empower, and change lives.

Well … we have our own story, and to a great degree, we can write it ourselves. 

What about our own character arcs, personal goals, inner conflicts? What will we do in our own lives to bring about a satisfy ending?

Winter is over! It's spring—the perfect time for a fresh start!

 ~ Dawn

After the Glitter, Get Inspired by Dianne Christner

When the glitter settles, I often discover that my creativity has gravitated from the work place to family, friends, and holiday festivities. In other words, it goes into play mode. Christmas can leave me feeling unmotivated to return to the hard task of writing. When this happens, a pep talk is in order to remind the creative side of my brain that it loves writing.  I find it helpful to think about a time when I was able to produce and convince myself that I’m capable of doing so again. I try to focus on the positive and not entertain negative thoughts or lingering distractions so that I can prepare the way for my inner writer to quicken.

I know that I must allow the left side of my brain (the logical or analytical side) to provide a safe uncluttered place for my creative right side to emerge.

In other words, I clean up the glitter. For me, it’s getting my hair done, putting away the Christmas decorations, and cleaning off my desk and workspace. I organize my desk and schedule and make necessary adjustments to reincorporate my writing time. I order a calendar for the upcoming year. I often need to re-prioritize my writing goals and ask, “What is my next step? What day and time will I begin?” I allow my left side to formulate a plan for my inner writer, rather like one friend spurring another to do something great.

With the glitter removed, I coax my right side to get back to my fiction writing.

 I stoke the dim flickering desire by intentionally doing things that heat up the inspiration. I may read a book on writing, go to a writing blog, or connect with another writer. I dig out the inspirational quotes. If I’m lazy, I may read a novel or two. I think about my readers.

When my motivation intensifies, I know it’s time to get started.

Even if it doesn’t, when the designated appointment time arrives, I sit at my desk. It feels familiar like I’m coming home again. I begin by reading what I last wrote or looking over my plot outline.  When my creative mind knows I mean business, it will emerge–sometimes slow and sulky and other times eager and crashing through the gates. My lips quirk into a smile and my fingers glide over the keyboard. It may feel rusty, but I know this isn’t the time for me to worry about perfection, but just be thankful that I’m writing again.

How do you go from glitter to inspired?

Dianne lives in Phoenix, Arizona, where life sizzles, at least in the summer when temperatures soar above 100 degrees. Before writing, Dianne balanced a career of office management with raising a family and serving the Lord in her local church.

She has been married for thirty-nine years. Dianne and Jim have two married children, Mike and Rachel, and five grandchildren.

With several historical fictions to her credit, she hopes you enjoy her new contemporary series - The Plain City Bridesmaids. If you want to learn more about Dianne's writing and personal life, visit her blog. She loves interacting with her readers.

Writing through Pain by Matt Patterson

Have you ever found yourself too overwhelmed to write? Life can throw all sorts of things at us: pain, heartache, depression, grief, sickness, etc. But if we are called to write, God can use those things to help us in our writing. Author Matt Patterson tells us about his own personal journey through grief to writing a message of hope.

~ Angie

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God says He always uses our pain, failures and scars to make us more effective in ministry. As I approach a new year with a recently completed book aimed at helping others, I ask myself a simple, but strong question.

How do I see Him using my pain to make me more effective in my ministry of writing?

For me, it started with a newspaper column that was going to be very difficult, yet very special to write. It was our first daughter’s birthday. I wanted to relay in this column how much she had taught and touched me in what seemed to be a very short time here on earth. This column was about my two-year-old daughter Emily, who about two years prior, had passed away after a brave battle with leukemia. Emily was also born with Down syndrome.

This column – as short as it could be – walked readers through her birth and eventual death. It told them of our shock and dismay at hearing words like Down syndrome and leukemia.

It was short.

It was sad.

It was touching and a tribute.

Nearly 20 years later, I find it was a release and that God turned my tragedy into blessing and grief into mission.

My Emily is my story of pain. This book is my small effort to help families who have special needs children, little ones battling cancer or those heartbroken parents who have lost a child. Writing continues to be a source of comfort for me. It’s an opportunity to help or touch someone – mothers, fathers, as well as writers.

Many of us have similar stories to tell. Painful stories.

The Bible tells us to, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

It’s my desire to share testimony that God uses our talents, gifts and pain to help others. In Ecclesiastes it reads, “Two are better than one … If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” My Emily is my tool to reach down and help others up.

In between baking cookies, wrapping gifts and mailing out Christmas cards, some of us are going to sit down and begin to plan our writing for the coming year. I ask each of you to remember one simple step in this process.

Pray over your work.

Pray over your plans.

I testify that when we bow our heads and pray over our work, He will guide our hearts and minds to deliver messages that will indeed help others up.

Matt Patterson is the author of My Emily and an award-winning communications professional. His two-plus decades of experience include public and media relations, as well as print and broadcast journalism. He volunteers his time to helping organizations and charities dedicated to assisting families with children who have special needs or those battling pediatric cancers. He resides in Arizona with his wife and two daughters.

To purchase My Emily, click here.

Websites: http://mattpatterson.me, http://www.my-emily.org

Twitter: @myemily_thebook

Facebook: Matt Patterson, Author

The Call and “The Call” by Richard L. Mabry, MD

Dr. Richard Mabry is the author of four published novels of medical suspense. His novel, Medical Error, was a finalist for this year’s Carol Award of the American Christian Fiction Writers. His latest book is Lethal Remedy. I hope you enjoy this inspiring post of how Dr. Mabry received The Call.

~ Angie

Writers talk about getting “the call.” For some, that’s the phone call (or email or letter) from an agent offering representation. For others, the call is one that extends a contract for publication. I’ve received both these calls, and I can’t tell you how wonderful and exciting they were. But they wouldn’t have come about had I not responded to an earlier and much more important call.

My road to writing began with a tragedy. Maybe yours did, too. Perhaps you lost your job and decided to fill those empty hours between interviews and resumés by starting the novel you always thought you had inside you. Or you found yourself with an empty nest and a broken heart, so you decided to write to take your mind off the loneliness. In my case, it was the death of my wife of forty years that provided the impetus for me to write.

After Cynthia’s death in 1999, one of the coping mechanisms I employed to combat depression was to journal. I laid out my feelings, bared my soul. Then I looked back at what I’d written, and wondered if I could turn this stack of raw journaling into a book that would help others. There was a problem, though. I had no idea how one went about writing a book. So, in 2003, I attended a Christian Writers’ Conference. That’s where I came under the influence of writers Alton Gansky and James Scott Bell, who inspired and encouraged me. An editor challenged me to try my hand at fiction, as well as non-fiction. And at the end of the conference, I got “The Call.” I emphasize this one, because it came from God. I knew, with the same certainty that I know my name, that my retirement from medicine was just a transition to another endeavor. I was to write.

In 2006, my non-fiction book became a reality with the publication of The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse. Fiction, on the other hand, was a different story. During four years spent learning the craft I produced four novels that were rejected a total of over forty times. Then, finally, I got “the call”—twice. Both came from agent Rachelle Gardner, the first offering representation and the second telling me I’d sold my first novel. But neither of those calls would have come had I not listened to The Call, the one God handed down to me at that conference.

My fourth novel, Lethal Remedy, has just been released, and I recently signed with Thomas Nelson Company for three novels of medical suspense. Of course, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share my stories with others, but I don’t want to lose sight of the reason I’m writing in the first place. I guess it’s best summed up in the last line of the Acknowledgement I wrote for my first novel: “When I retired from medicine, God opened another door and pointed me in the direction of writing. I have no idea what comes next, but I can hardly wait to find out. To Him be the glory.”