Stuck? Talk it out with someone before you hit this -->

Inspiration Week Continued: The TRUE Finale!

Truth is always inspirational, so I'm going to get honest today and come clean. (I almost forgot to come back to this!) And apparently I'm a better liar than I thought I was since no one guessed the real answer. The trick is that none of you were looking into my eyes as I said them. That must be it. ;)

1. I had the opportunity to perform a leading role at the Boston Opera House and had to take a flight out there. I ended up meeting my future husband to boot! This one is not true. Not anything about it... But I did throw in the idea of it being true earlier in the post by informing you that I flew somewhere and met my husband for the first time. Wow! That worked better than I expected.
   
2. I have stepped foot on all seven continents and must say that Antarctica was my favorite! Not true either. I've only been to North America, Europe and Africa, but how cool would that be if it were true!
   
3. I spent four (this should have been three. We dated for four years total. My bad!) years telling my now husband that I just wanted to be friends before I finally married him. It took him chasing after someone new to get me to overcome my commitment issues. This one is actually true and someday I'll tell the whole story. James was/is my first and only love and back then, I thought I needed to make sure he was the "one" by dating around. Yeah, I was pretty nuts. (Still am, but now I'm a wiser variety of nut.) (So even the truth wasn't the truth? Boy, I'm terrible...)
   
4. I once met Richard Marx and got to talk about writing lyrics with him. It was so cool! I wish! He is one amazing lyricist/song writer and I admire him a lot!
   
5. I speak five languages fluently. French, German, Italian, English and Arabic. This would be true except for the fluently part... (I suppose that's a big part!) but I do speak them all to one extent or another.
   
6. I had the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall, but turned it down as I was making wedding preparations at the time. My vocal professor was actually the one flying out to Carnegie to perform while I was planning a wedding. I wish I could have been there for her performance!
   
7. My husband and I had our first date in St. Louis, our second date in Boston and our third in Salt Lake City. He decided to move to Utah after the third date and we were married a moth later. This is also partially true. We did have our first three dates in these places, but when he moved out to Utah, #3 began.
   

Inspiration Week Continued

Mary Aalgaard said...

#1 thing that inspires me is people. Add a little music and coffee and my creative wheels are a-turnin'.

Tiana Smith said...

Reading inspires me. I know that seems trite, but honestly, every time I read an amazing book that I just can't put down, it makes me want to do the same for someone else. However, when I'm in the middle of writing a book, sometimes I can't read at all, otherwise elements from that book I'm reading seem to creep into the one I'm writing. I'm sure this is the mark of a newbie writer :)

Abby Annis said...

Fun contest! The #1 thing that inspires me is my family and friends. That includes all of my cool bloggy writer friends. :)

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

So many things inspire me. Mostly, though, I'm inspired by my family. I want to leave something lasting for them and that keeps me writing.

Christine Danek said...

I'm inspired by music.

Kelly Lyman said...

I'm inspired by music mostly and sometimes by other things I read

Cathy said...

I am inspired mainly by music, poetry, literature and more recently interesting blogs that I have come across.

Inspiration Week Continued

Tamika: said...

My inspiration: Each time I spend time in God's Word and He reveals more of His great love for me. I'm eternally awe struck.

Elana Johnson said...

Cool! I totally find inspiration in nature. I try to have a nature moment every day. Sunsets, flowers, ducks outside, whatever. :)

lotusgirl said...

I'm inspired by nature. All you have to do is look at my photography to know that.

sarahjayne smythe said...

Great idea for a contest. I'm a follower and I'm inspired by my family who let me be me and pursue whatever dreams I happen to have.

Amanda Borenstadt said...

I guess it's people who inspire me- what they create or who they are. -A phrase said or sung, a piece of art, or just the way a person moves. My first novel sprung to life because of a combo of a song and a guy I saw on a train and the way he stood by the door

Jackee said...

My favorite inspiration is nature (yeah, go figure)--it has so much to offer.

Mary Campbell said...

What inspires me in general and for writing is the same thing - I love inspirational moments in books and on T.V. The good stuff that brings on the tears. Whenever I experience one of those moments I resolve to write inspiring moments into my book.

Susan R. Mills said...

Many things inspire me, but the most inspirational is music. It always gets me going.

Jeanette Levellie said...

Two people inspire me: God and my husband. Both believe in me even when I don't. You have to gain courage from that kind of confidence!

Inspiration Week Continued: Ten-Word Tuesday

Imprint your heart on the page without thoughts of time.







No great thing is created suddenly. —Epictetus (A.D.200)

Inspiration Week Continued: Lucky 13! Winner!

Who says 13 isn't lucky? Not me! The winner of the island contest is.....

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan!!!!

What inspires her? Read on:

I've received a lot of inspiration from the Beatles. I wrote some fanfic short stories directly involving them, but they've also inspired me to create a group of four female magic-users who must work together to save their country. John Lennon was the inspiration behind my current WIP, Across Two Universes.

Sometimes I also take frustrations I face in daily life and fictionalize them. It can be a therapeutic process. :grin:

E-mail me your address and I'll get your prizes shipped off ASAP! (nisa79 AT gmail DOT com)

Thank you all so much for participating! It seems I'm not alone in my favorite inspirations: Nature, Music, Family and God definitely came up a lot. I'm going to post them so that you can get to know your fellow bloggers. And because they're all great answers, but to keep the posts short, I'm going to do it in three segments. I hope their answers continue to inspire you this week!

Christine Fonseca said...

Hmm...what inspires me. Honestly - all of you. Everyday I meet someone or talk to someone that reminds me what life really means. And THAT is inspiring!

Stephanie L. McGee said...

The number one thing that kept me writing and kept me pushing through to finish Oracles Promise after taking a two year vacation on it was an author's response to a question I asked him. I asked him if he ever felt like what he wrote was utter garbage compared to stuff other people have published. He said all the time but that it's what keeps him going and pushing himself to be better.

Lydia Kang said...

What inspires me? Success stories from writers who were told to give up. And they didn't.

Stina Lindenblatt said...

What inspires me? Lots of things. My kids. My husband. Books I read. Writers I know. I love Lydia's comment. Those success stories are important.

Aubrie said...

Movies like Pirates of the Carribean and Lord of the Rings inspire me. Also, fantasy art. Thanks for having this contest!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

My #1 inspiration right now is my son, Scott. The Naughty Boy factory is his story, and his desire to "buy it" keeps me going. :-)

Jemi Fraser said...

My #1 inspiration in my life is my family - kids & hubby. Always. I want the world to be a better place for them. Anything I can do to make a difference for them I will.

Danyelle said...

What inspires me? Life. The more I listen, the more I hear. Life is a whole hodgepodge of wonderful people, experiences, and growing. And bossy characters. O:)

Inspiration Week: Finale

It's Friday! That's truly inspirational.

So this week has been fun for me. It's not likely to happen again for...a long, long time, but I enjoyed sharing with you what inspires me. Of course, there is more. There's always more. I could have gone into the dreams I have or the history, photography, cultures... But I chose my top four: Nature, People, Music and today? Faith - I believe it to be the root of all inspiration. It doesn't matter what your religion, simply that you believe in something bigger than yourself. I always loved that saying "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing" because I find it to be true. Beautiful things happen to me when I let myself believe.



And when I don't? Another of my favorite sayings is "fear is the opposite of faith". As writers, and for life in general, there is a lot of scary things we need to face down, a lot of new experiences to undertake and a lot of doubters. The cool thing is that if we put that saying into practice, we can overcome all of those things with a little faith. Faith in our talents and in ourselves. So what are you waiting for? Go write something fantastic! I believe in you, so now it's your turn to believe in yourself! Happy writing, everyone!

Inspiration Week: Music

Music speaks to the heart. At times, it pierces where words cannot. It is a language all its own and my life would be bland without it. For me, inspiration can be found across genres. Here are a few of my favorites. I hope these stir your imagination!





(Not the best version, but the only one I could find on short notice.)

Inspiration Week: People

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." - C. S. Lewis

Have you ever gone to a park to watch children play? Ever sat down in an airport terminal to watch the passersby? Have you taken an extra long lunch at a local cafe just so you could people-watch? To me, there is nothing so inspiring as people. My mom was the first to instruct me in the art of people-watching as we sat in the Salt Lake City airport waiting for my flight to meet for the first time the man who would eventually become my husband. (Yes, you read that right. Funny story!) The point is that from that simple moment came a beginning for me. It was the start of my love for people.

Perhaps the most inspiring people are not the strangers we see as we walk between downtown shops, but those we hold near and dear to us. My husband and two little boys are by far the most inspiring things in my life. But inspiration isn't singular. I also feel most creative in my associations with friends - in the which I include all of you. To that end, I want to thank several of you for your kindness and inspiring thoughts directed at me. This post has been a long time in coming and it is lengthy so bear with me! I really need to show my appreciation for the blog awards I have received.

*"From Me to You Award" from Christine Danek

1. Nobody can pronounce my real name. Thus Nisa was born.


2. I love opera, classical music.


3. My grandpa owns his own big band and they perform all over southern Utah, thus my love of jazz and jitterbug was born.


4. I am a terrible liar as you will soon see.


5. I love change. Love it! Moving around every 2-3 years suits me just fine.


6. I have this dream of performing the role of Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera and Marguerite in The Scarlett Pimpernel.


I gave up chasing #6 for my ultimate dream - to be a mom.

* "The Sunshine Award" from Stina Lindenblatt
* "The Quillfeather Award" from Laurel Garver - I like my eggs over easy.
* "Butterfly Award" from Tamika - I have to mention that I love butterflies!
* "Prolific Blogger Award" from Emily Ann Benedict
* "Super commenter Award" from Lindsey Edwards
* Lesa's Bald Faced Liar "Creative Writer" Award from Shannon O'Donnell, Jemi Fraser,
Laura Diamond, Angie Lofthouse, Danyelle Leafty

Apparently, a lot of you want to see how well I can lie... For this one I'm to tell you 5-6 outrageous lies and 1-2 outrageous truth, so here goes!

1. I had the opportunity to perform a leading role at the Boston Opera House and had to take a flight out there. I ended up meeting my future husband to boot!
2. I have stepped foot on all seven continents and must say that Antarctica was my favorite!
3. I spent four years telling my now husband that I just wanted to be friends before I finally married him. It took him chasing after someone new to get me to overcome my commitment issues.
4. I once met Richard Marx and got to talk about writing lyrics with him. It was so cool!
5. I speak five languages fluently. French, German, Italian, English and Arabic.
   
6. I had the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall, but turned it down as I was making wedding preparations at the time.
   
7. My husband and I had our first date in St. Louis, our second date in Boston and our third in Salt Lake City. He decided to move to Utah after the third date and we were married a moth later.
   

(For the award pictures, you can check out the bottom of the page.)


And if you've made it this far, wow! I'm impressed! Go enter the contest I'm hosting this week. You deserve it!

Inspiration Week: Ten-Word Tuesday

The world is what you make it; see the beautiful.

Inspiration Week - The Island Contest

I don't normally blog every day. I really enjoy my Tue/Thurs schedule, but this is a special week. To celebrate, I'm going to start with that promised contest! To the left is a picture of the prize package. I went with an island theme because not everyone has the opportunity to travel like I do and I thought you might enjoy immersing yourself in Bahamian culture for awhile. Most people find that relaxed living pretty inspirational as well, so hopefully all of these island treasures will put your muse into overdrive!

As for the rules, first of all you need to be a follower of this blog. Second, the reason I blog is to make connections with people. I really enjoy getting to know YOU as an individual. As much as I love math, I'm not going to make you tally up points for the many ways you could spread the word about this contest. Whether you do this or not is your choice. All I would like you to do is leave me a comment telling me the number one thing that inspires you.

1. Follow my blog
2. Leave a comment with your #1 inspiration.

So easy! Hard work is inspirational too, but I just came off of a long break and I'm easing my way back into things. ;)

I will announce the winner Monday, April 12th and I will include a list of what inspires each of you. I'm hoping this will be both fun and motivating. Who doesn't need a little push to get that muse out of his/her easy chair? ;)

Also, Danyelle of myth-takes is hosting her once a month "Let's Have a Ball" contest. Go check it out. Her blog is fabulous and she is a very lovely person. If you don't know her, get to know her!

Back for a Blogfest!

My friend and crit partner, Kelly, is hosting a blogfest today! You all know how I love the blogfests, so I've returned from my holiday just in time to participate! I hope you enjoy my first page.

I see important events as they happen. I have for as long as I can remember. I must admit that I used the knowledge to gain prestige, but I didn't fully understand that what I saw was important. Now I know what my gift means and it scares me. - From the journals of Adelycea, Bard of the King's Court.

Power pressed itself against the Second’s skin, gripping him. It was as tangible and cool as an autumn wind. The brisk wave rushed though him, pouring into every particle of his body from flesh to soul. It increased his awareness, slowed time to accentuate each rapid beat of his heart, quickened his reactions, heightened his senses in every aspect and filled him completely for the first time. He had only just caressed the Power before, now he kissed it, became one with it. It was heady and dizzying.

This was what his storage of emotion was meant to do. This was why he was a Hoarder.

All the doubts in his mind were decimated with one violent slash. He pulled his silver blades free from the sinews of his victim and wiped them clean of the blood. He held on to the Power for several moments more, relishing in the euphoria, before stifling it with emptiness. He didn't mind the numbing of his emotions that followed. It was merely one sacrifice to bring about greater ideals. Ideals that he knew, in good time, would prevail. He could be patient. He had been patient.

Inspecting his bloody hands, he knew it wouldn’t be the first time he’d have to cover them in the sticky, red substance to get what he wanted. He hoarded the pleasure that came as he stripped the body of any identifying objects just as Felic had taught him. Three years of pretending to revere the old man to get what he wanted had been well worth it. He had even taken to calling him Felic, the Fool and those who knew the second well laughed with him.

He was becoming well renowned on the streets in general. Of course, few knew who he really was and he would be taking care of those few very soon, including poor, old Felic. The man who had taught him about manipulation and subterfuge would be the next to bloody his hands, though not for some time. Others would die before Felic’s turn would come, though he would not offer the killing blow. He knew just who to hire to further that portion of his plan. Sometimes it was prudent to let others get their hands dirty.

He brushed his palms against a lily-white handkerchief and let it drop into the large keg that rested at his side. They were still stained with blood. He left a bit behind on purpose.

Shoving the body into the barrel, he rolled it to the back of the alley. The dead rich man wouldn’t be found for quite some time, but once the keeper of the pub discovered him, it wouldn’t be long before the Piks identified him, even without his crest