Joanna, over at Confident Writing, issued her March Group Writing Project, and I finally finished my response tonight. The challenge? Produce “4 lots of 4 things on the theme of writing and inspiration.” It’s a bit tougher than it sounds, but, as always, the project was well worth the effort.

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4×4 Sources of Writing Inspiration

 

Four reasons why I aspire to be a prosumer of content:

  1. I expose myself to new material, and analyze it in new ways: Reading the same news sources day in and day out results in an extremely provincial view of the world. Actively seeking content to comment on, however, has resulted in me subscribing to far more blogs and checking out far more books from the library… and now I read in order to share my opinions, rather than keeping my thoughts to myself.

  2. I learn so much more: I have already put my foot in my mouth a few times, and I am sure it will happen again. More and more, however, as one’s personal brand becomes so much more important, I am increasingly conscious of what I post and my choice of wording. The result? I force myself to do more fact-checking and delve deeper in my research. And learning is never a bad thing.

  3. I network more: Blogging is all about the connections, and the best way to generate feedback on one’s writing is to find an active audience. The relationships I have begun to establish have led me to new authors, new books, and new topics I knew nothing about beforehand, and I would have nothing to share in return if I always kept to myself.

  4. I have a lot more fun: This was the focus of the last group writing project, but I absolutely love everything about the writing process. I write and blog because I enjoy it, and oftentimes that passion is inspiration enough.

 

Four books (of many) which made me want to be a writer:

  1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling: As a member of the generation that literally grew up alongside of Harry, I love the entire series. It was while reading this book, however, that I first made the connection that I was enjoying the book because the underlying story was really, really good. I have since read better and greater, but that lesson – if the basic plot structure is weak, the work as a whole suffers – has stuck with me since childhood.

  2. No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy: Proof that great writing does not have to be obfuscated by grandiose language, complex syntax, or even commas. I loved the movie, I loved the book, but it was the style which had the greatest impact on me.

  3. JPod, by Douglas Coupland: Every time I flip back through this book, I find some random quote which makes me laugh out loud. Coupland’s blend of visual art with a wacky story and sheer randomness makes for an incredible read; the unpredictability of his writing is a major reason as to why I love this book so much.

  4. Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas: Several years ago, while doing a project in my school’s library, a good friend of mine abruptly stood up, walked over to the shelves, and then handed me a book, telling me, “You absolutely must read this.” And this was my introduction to Rats Saw God, a short, odd novel centered around a story of growing up and maturing to face the real world. I have never understood why I could relate so strongly to the central characters, or even why I loved the book so much, but to this day, a well-worn, dog-eared copy sits on my bookshelf.

 

Four authors who made me want to live a life I could write about:

  1. Tucker Max: As I have said before, Tucker’s lifestyle and my own are worlds apart; I have no plans to ever emulate his adventures. I do, however, respect his success: he has risen to the top by writing about what he knows best, and his emphasis on doing just that has influenced my own writing a great deal.

  2. Timothy Ferriss: I don’t know anyone who has read The 4-Hour Workweek and still does not want to live live the way Ferriss does. His accomplishments are a testament to the very philosophy he preaches; my own posts about taking action have been largely inspired by his writings.

  3. Keith Ferrazzi: A professional networker and author of the brilliant Never Eat Alone, reading Ferrazzi’s advice reinforced my belief that it is too early (or too late!) to develop the “people skills” which make or break so many social interactions.

  4. Thomas Friedman: Anyone who has read the opening pages of From Beirut to Jerusalem will understand exactly why Friedman is such a world-renowned journalist. His books are not mere research reports generated by interns with his name slapped on the cover; he lives the very moments he shares with the rest of the world, and is a success for it.

 

Four goals for my future writing career:

  1. See the emergence of a definite theme: Though the topics of my blog are beginning to collect under a few umbrella categories, my posts are still relatively scattered. I have yet to dedicate all of my energy to one given theme, but as I generate enough content and am able to find what my audience reacts best to, I plan to carve out some sort of a niche.

  2. Develop a schedule for my writing: Every bit of writing advice I read amounts to “write, write, write, write, and write some more.” I am as guilty as most people, however, in that I hardly ever go through a week and manage to write a little bit every day.

  3. Create content that people truly enjoy reading: I refuse to fall into the trap where I care more about the number of one-time visitors than the loyal readers who keep coming back because I am producing stuff of substance.

  4. Continue this trend of self-reflection: There is an infinite number of articles and resources and random musings which I could reflect on until the end of my days, but sometimes the greatest source of inspiration lies within. Setting attainable goals for the future, talking about books I love, and even remembering the authors who influenced my earliest interests in writing have all been terrific methods of finding inspiration.