Inspiration and Motivation

Inspiration is everywhere, if you look. This is a selection of people, places, events, art, and music that motivate and inspire me. I hope you’ll feel the same.

The Importance of Sacrifice in Your Life

Lynette M Burrows

You probably don’t think about it much, but the importance of sacrifice in your daily lives is that you do it. Sometimes you sacrifice knowingly and willingly and with love. You may give it up unwillingly with lots of pain. And somehow you are drawn to it— in the stories you read–and in real life. Sacrifice In Fiction (Warning Star Wars and Hunger Games spoilers in the rest of this section—skip to the next section if you haven’t seen/read these two stories.) I’m editing the rough draft of my WIP and have been thinking about sacrifice a lot. I learned and believe that for a story to resonate with the reader, the protagonist must make a sacrifice.  Obi Wan Kenobi sacrificed himself so that Luke and the others could escape in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In the Hunger Games Catching Fire, Mags sacrifices herself so Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick can survive. The larger and the more personal the sacrifice—the stronger the emotional response of the reader/viewer. At least that’s true for the stories that draw my strongest emotional response. So, I’ve been trying to understand sacrifice better. Turns out, sacrifice doesn’t just happen in fiction. What is […]

5 Ways to Support Your Creativity

Lynette M Burrows

The weight of political divisions, racial injustice, gender or ability discrimination, and natural disasters can be overwhelming. Particularly in 2020. Choose your meme, but many express dismay about the ongoing issues. And many creatives feel the impact of these important issues in a way that diminishes their creativity. Do you have a creative support network? Maybe it needs some reinforcement. Here are 5 ways to support your creativity with a support network. Supportive Peeps Mentors You need mentors. People who are more advanced in their craft, who can share their experiences. Mentors come in many forms. They can be one-on-one in person, but they can also be teachers in your creative classes, a memoir, or in how-to books. You may find a mentor in your genre related creative organization. SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) has one such program. Peers Peers who understand problems, frustration, and successes are vital. They be in person or classmates, critique partners, co-authors, or online friends. You can use twitter chat, forums, zoom, and writer groups online or on your favorite social media site. Make certain you choose peers who give more positive interactions than negative. And that you dish out more positive […]

The Mystical Adventure of Reading for Pleasure

Lynette M Burrows

Science has shown that reading helps memory, empathy, and language skills. But reading does more than that. It opens new worlds in your mind. It allows you to experience things you might never encounter in real life. There is a mystical adventure of reading. And here are the quotes to prove it.  On Learning to Read Oh, magic hour, when a child first knows she can read printed words! — A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943 When I say to a parent, “read to a child”, I don’t want it to sound like medicine. I want it to sound like chocolate. — Mem Fox To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. — Victor Hugo, Les Miserables If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book. —J.K. Rowling The Magic of Reading Books are a uniquely portable magic. —Stephen King There is no frigate like a book, to take us lands away — Emily Dickinson What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re […]