Why do you write? What inspires you to write? Inspiration comes in many forms, and I know you fellow writers are out there! 😍

Is it a place?

Is it a time of day? 

Is it a feeling?

Is it a memory?

Is it life experience?

Is it a yearning to understand? 

Is it a need to be understood? 

Is it an inner voice? 

Is it the outside world?

Is it to heal?

Is it to share a message?

Is it the quiet of your home?

Is it the bustle of a coffee shop? 

Is it a lifetime goal? 

Is it a God given dream?

Is it fame? 

Is it fortune?

Is it your family?

I found the most brilliant inspiration at the #SCBWI Summer Spectacular. These kindred souls following the same dream have inspired me. We learned alongside each other in virtual space. Hearing about the successes and the failures, and knowing we’re all in this together, this writing and illustrating for children. 

I learned we share a dream for children. We want to make the world a brighter place, one where they all feel understood. To accomplish this, we need to speak the truth, be true to our own voice, and share our own stories.

Lin Oliver, SCBWI Executive Director, shared a quote from E.B. White to close the conference. “All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world.” 

We all need that about now. To my fellow writers, let me reframe the question. What do you write to inspire?

 

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.