For The Love Of Words

Hello Barber-ians and welcome!

I have had several individuals, some of whom I work with (the dreaded DAY JOB!! AHHHH!!!!), some of whom just know me, ask me THE QUESTION. Where do you get your ideas? they ask.

I will attempt here to make some satisfactory answer. The short answer is simple enough. I haven't the foggiest notion.A slightly more elucidated response might be everywhere...and nowhere.

It seems to me that readers expect some elaborate and mystical ritual process by which a writer receives inspiration. Perhaps a Muse is involved. Perhaps a pack of wild polar bears. But the truth I think, at least for me, is terribly more mundane than that. I just simply don't know. Some days I'm struck with the overwhelming desire to begin a new story, other days I'm not.

And anything can set off the inspiration. A cicada singing. The sound of a lawnmower. The way a beam of light reflects off the surface of a plastic lightsaber decorating the middle of the living room floor. Or it can seemingly come from nowhere at all. Poof, there it is.

To be honest, for most of my life I've had alternate versions of reality playing out in my head. Infinite 'what if' versions of the world. I believe that most (read all) of us talk to ourselves, at least from time to time. The difference is that, when you're a writer, you answer yourself and share those conversations with the world.

I hope this has helped to illuminate somewhat the process involved in how I decide to write. I know it seems a bit vague, but know that this is not from some self important desire to appear mysterious  so much as from a fairly extensive lack of understanding on my own behalf as to where these things come from.

Thanks for stopping by Barber-ians and, as always, keep writing!