Finding Inspiration

When I'm in the middle of writing or revising and it's not going well, a couple of things happen.

a) I get cranky

b) I hope and pray for inspiration

I'm not really one to give up. If anything, there's a part of me that wants to dig in and dig deep when it gets hard. Like if there were bubbles above my head, you'd probably see a lot of profanity, but that frustration and anger fuels me to keep going so I'm not in that place of frustration and anger any longer. I mean, let's face it, it's not a fun place to be! And the only way to get past it is to work damn hard and get beyond it.

But the inspiration is really key for me. I'll go to Youtube and watch music videos, and that helps. I'll step away, go for a long walk, and that helps too.

Sunday evening I was really tired after working hard on revisions most of the weekend. I had a movie from Netflix here, and sometimes movies inspire me, but I thought, dang it, this one isn't the kind that's going to inspire me. Still, I was ready for a break, so I got my blanket and my remotes, and I hit the couch.

Okay, lesson learned. Never, ever, EVER try to predict whether something is going to inspire you or not. OMG how this movie inspired me! Want to know which movie it was?

This one:



Young at Heart. It's about a chorus of people with an average age of 80 who sing songs like "I Feel Good" by James Brown and "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones and "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth.

Often, the lyrics they are learning are difficult. Sometimes, they don't even like the song. But they ENJOY THE CHALLENGE. And they come to practice every time, ready to learn. Not just learn, but enthusiastically learn. They believe it will be worth it in the end, so they work and work and work to get it right.

These are my kind of people. And then, of course, beyond the singing, these are people with health issues. They realize every day is precious, and they vow to make the most of each and every one. They laugh, they celebrate, and sometimes, of course, they cry. Because that's life after all.

At the end, one of the men with pretty serious health issues sang a song. A more quiet song. I recognized it and yet, I couldn't place it. When I turned the TV off, tears streaming down my face, I googled. I found it. I read the lyrics. Then I found the group singing it on youtube.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

That song title may even make it into the book, that's how perfect it was.