Inspiration!

I have been inspired; not in an arty way, in a guts and glory way. This isn't a matter of The Muse knocking on the door and calling me out to play, it's inspiration in the way a person can be inspired by an Olympic Athlete to become more active, or by an X-Factor contestant inspiring a singer to think 'I can do that.'

My 'I can do that' moment has originated from an interesting source. A long-time friend, Ally, is a talented artist and I recently found her Sketchbook on Conceptart. I looked through her art work, starting last August, right up to this year and saw a remarkable improvement and this improvement has happened because she took a critical look at herself and asked 'what do I want to achieve?' She set herself goals, decided what she needed to work on and then worked on it. Tirelessly. Well, I can do that.

For years I've wanted to write: Novels, screenplays, drama, stage plays... anything really (except poetry, which I officially SUCK at!) I've been writing stories since I was in primary school and even ran a fan-fiction writing group between 1998 and 2008. I know there are characters and stories inside my head trying to claw their way to freedom, but life always gets in the way. There's always work, the house, the husband, the dog, singing, politics and god-knows-what-else to do. Well, Ally has inspired me to apply the same dedication to my writing that she's applied to her art.

This isn't the first hint that I should be more dedicated in the application of the writer's craft. Hubby has been saying for months that if I want to be a writer I need to write, and the internet is littered with advice from bloggers and writers saying that the first step to writing is to write everyday. Add to that the fact that I have seen significant improvement in my singing just purely from setting goals and applying regular practice. Ally's success on Conceptart isn't so much another hint, as a slap in the face with a wet kipper: It seems like the whole world is telling me I should write.... lots.... everyday.

So... I've started another blog... The Writer Inside. Writer and blogger, Jeff Goins says that a writer shouldn't just practice, they should practice in public. And so I shall. I still intend to use The Soup Spoon for general posting, but my intention is to post as often as I can on The Writer Inside and to post lots of snippets, short stories and character word-sketches. I'd love to get some feedback about what works and what doesn't, so come on over and have a look around.

I only hope that I can enjoy a similar improvement in my writing that Ally has in her artwork. Who knows, maybe I will actually manage to finish the novel, screenplay and TV pilot episode that I've been chewing on forever.