Sweet Inspiration

Inspiration leads us to our happiness. In fact, the moment of inspiration is when we feel happy about an idea that pops up out of the blue. We know something just happened to us. It’s exciting! I mentioned on my Facebook page last week I’d gone to my first ballet in many years, and had something magical happen. A light bulb went on. All of the sudden I had the third book in a future series. I’d been asking myself about that last book for over two years now. Then, bam. Inspiration. 

It can happen anywhere. The key is being present. Expanding our senses. Looking around. If I had my nose stuck in the playbill or been stressed about parking or traffic or whatever, I might not have had the spark. 

My characters always have a flash of inspiration. Sometimes it’s not a 2×4 to the head moment, but it’s a knowing when they have a great idea. Take my heroine in Nora Roberts Land, Meredith Hale. Her life has gone down the toilet since her divorce. She’s still stuck in the past. Not happy. 

Then one day she decides she’s through with being miserable. She wants to start anew. Read Nora Roberts again and give her ex the bird for ever suggesting Nora’s books were to blame for their divorce. So she decides to buy a new Nora book. She takes the first step and wham, she has a moment of sweet inspiration. She’s going to prove her ex totally wrong. Returning to her hometown, she’s going to prove you can find your own happily ever after–or Nora Roberts Land. 

We all have moments of sweet inspiration. The major block a lot of us have is we judge it or second guess it. One of my favorite scenes is in Jerry Maguire when he writes his manifesto about getting back to being a sports agent out of love for sports and players and not the money. When he slips it under everyone’s door, he’s following through. Of course, the next day he wakes up thinking, WTF. I’ve felt that. My character, Meredith Hale, has felt that. I expect we all have.

But sweet inspiration leads us to our happiness. It shows us what we’re missing, what we truly value deep down, what we’ve lost, and what we might experience. It puts us on a new journey.

When sweet inspiration comes your way, say thank you. It probably has just changed your life. 

photo credit: ashley rose, via photopin cc