Did you have a dream in highschool you didn’t realize everyone knew?

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’m very  vocal, so it should’ve been a no brainer, but I was amazed at the comments from highschool friends who told me how happy they were to hear I got a book published as they remembered me talking about becoming an author in highschool.As great as that was to hear, the best responses were those saying I inspired them to revisit their own dreams they’d either forgotten, or let slide because of life getting in the way. What an amazing feeling to know I was able to help! It sparked in me the desire to help other writers and people to reach for their dreams. On Facebook and Twitter, I look for posts/tweets that inspire and encourage, which is one of my daily 5. (I’ll talk about that in another post).

What about characters? Can they inspire us? Absolutely! The heroine in my debut novel wasn’t satisfied with the career I originally gave her (interior designer). She insisted on being a restoration architect who could do it all. The character I earmarked for the killer insisted they couldn’t do it, but the character who ended up as the killer told me in detail how and why they were perfect for the job. The ghosts who were part of the back story insisted they have a larger role in the story. Each one of these characters challenged and inspired me to make a better story and the mystery and paranormal elements shine. Know what? They were right.

Today’s inspiration is fun, in the form of a story I wrote in high school. It was emailed to me by a friend and fellow classmate. Maybe the bad writing will encourage you (your writing really is good).

 ScanSee, your writing is pretty great, right? When you stop laughing and patting yourself on the back, I want you to think about something you’re passionate about. How can you use it to inspire others? I’d love to hear it.