What Inspires Me: Reading

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Something which I have a great love for is: reading.

Being born to immigrant parents, I learned to speak English in school.  I used reading anything I could get my hands on from the local library, to help me conquer the language.

My passion for reading increased as a teen, where I started to write my own stories, after being inspired by authors like Robin Klein, S.E. Hinton and Lucy Maud Montgomery. As I got older, my tastes broadened and I fell in love with classical literature, horror and science fiction.  Authors like Steven King, Paulo Coelho, Christian Jacq, Anne Rice, Raymond E Feist and Janny Wurts  encouraged me to get back to writing because their words touched me and reignited the creative spark I had been suppressing.

I’m always reading several books at a time and love to open my inspiration to new ideas whether they be fiction or non fiction. This is why I have been puzzled when I meet people who say they never read.  I find that weird…mainly because I love to read for fun as well as for knowledge.  I find reading a great self educator and feel it can help writers hone their craft or encourage them to try our new genres or styles of writing.

Whatever I am reading all I want is to get “something” out of it and even if I dislike the book itself – at least I learned that!

Writing as an ambivert…

People have always assumed that I’m an extrovert due to my friendly nature. Truth be told – those who know me on a deeper level, know I’m actually an ambivert (an ambivert is a combination of a extrovert and introvert personality).  However, when I am in the writing zone I become very introverted and live in my own world.

I spend lot of time on my own – imagining my story lines and characters, jotting down random strings of words which come to me and observing the world around me whilst remaining detached.

Thing is, I have to come out of my self imposed exile and connect to people when I want to get my writing out there and communicate it to the world.

For me writing means living in two separate worlds and hopefully my ambivert personality can continue to have a foothold in each, as for me that is the perfect balance needed for my creativity.

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Validation

Was thinking about my fears when it comes to my writing and I have realized I have worked through a lot of it thanks to some great advice.

I always used to fear not being validated but then I realized I dont need it!14189202599_fcc3da396d_b

The best piece of advice I have received from my mentor this year is:
To not give a #%$@ when people don’t support you and never share with them because its not worth it.

Its made me more confident and creative, enabled me to write more so that I have completed more work this year than ever (even with my bouts of not being able to write for various reasons).

 

 

My inspiration: Keep Dancing from Paloma Faith

A few days ago I got to meet Paloma Faith after her concert. I thanked her for her music as its helped me in various ways…she thanked me in turn and told me to keep dancing.

This is a song which has resonated with me and has inspired me with the contemporary novel I am currently writing:

 Beauty Remains

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get it right
My eyes are always open though my heart is blind
But something’s different this time ’cause it’s me and you
Everything’s changing for me
When people say they’ve heard me say it all before
I don’t think they were listening ’cause I feel it more
The angels must’ve sent you ’cause they heard me cry
Waiting so long for this time to arrive
So I make a dress from my sorrows, and shoes from my sadness
And dance all the way into love
Trouble passes and beauty remains
And though I know this could turn tragic
It’s alright, it’s alright, ’cause I am willing to take more hurt if it’s from you
Oh baby
I’ll take the pain from you
I know there’ll be no love unless I just let go
I’m standing here before you turn my tears to gold
I’ll leave my past behind it’s such a heavy load
I put my dreams into you, they’ll grow
So I make a dress from my sorrows, and shoes from my sadness
And dance all the way into love
Trouble passes (Trouble passes), and beauty remains (Beauty remains)
And though I know this could turn tragic (Could turn tragic)
It’s alright, It’s alright
‘Cause I am willing to take more hurt if it’s from you
Oh baby
I’ll take the pain from you
Oh yeah
And oh and know that trouble passes (Trouble passes)
And beauty remains (Beauty remains)
And Oh I now this could turn tragic (Could turn tragic)
But it’s alright, it’s alright
‘Cause I am willing to take more hurt from you
Oh baby
I’ll take the pain from
Oh yeah
Trouble passes (Oh Trouble passes)
And beauty remains (Beauty remains)
And though I know this could turn tragic (I know this could turn tragic)
It’s alright, it’s alright
‘Cause I am willing to take more hurt if it’s from you
Oh baby, I’m willing to take more hurt from you (Beauty remains)
Oh yeah
I’ll take the pain from you, Oh yeah

by Paloma Faith

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