Thursday, August 11, 2011

What inspires me?




What is inspiration? Inspiration is one of those words that can encomass so many things. Webster's disctonary gives us three definitions: 1.) a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him/her to recieve and communicate sacred revelation (which includes; the action/power of moving the intellect.emotions and the act of influenceing/suggesting opinions); 2.) the act of drawing in and 3.) the quality/state of being inspired. Inspiration comes to people in all shapes, colors and sizes.

As a child, I lived in a small town with plenty of wild places that welcomed my fairytale stories. As an adult there are still places that invoke that spirited little girl's world, but I've found that lately my inspiration has come from the Steampunk community. As a part of my research in the culture, I joined a few local groups and spoke with people active in the community. They opened my eyes to a lot of things I wouldn't have thought of before.

Recently, I had the chance to attend a local Steampunk convention, GearCon. Even having only been it's first year, it was amazing. Not only were the costumes imaginative and amazing, but so were the people. Everyone was welcoming and willing to share any information they had. I left that one day, yes just one day, readt to sink myself back into my steampunk world and bring it forth.

What inspires me now is the openness and the willingness to invent and share those inventions. Isn't that what writing is all about? As authors we invent our novels, work hard to put them to paper (or computer), with the end goal of sharing that story with the world. I was also inspired to know that even though there are great steampunk novels out in the world, there are a rare few that are romance.



What inspires you? And why?

7 comments:

Sarah Raplee said...

Love the photos, Mae! Wish I'd been able to go with you to GearCon. Next year, for sure!

What a wonderful community of creative people from which to draw inspiration! The parallels with the writing community ring true for me.

You inspire me to take advantage of the cultural opportunities that exist here in Portland, Oregon. I've set my sights on attending Orycon, the SciFi/Fantasy (& Pirate) convention in November. Would you like to go, too? After all, Steampunk is considered a subgenre of SF, right?

Judith Ashley said...

Hi Mae,

I agree with Sarah that your photos are a great addition to your post. Inspiration and its partner, creativity are critical elements for any writer. Thanks for sharing about your Steampunk colleagues.

maepen said...

Thank you for the compliment on the photos. I am interested in going to Orycon and in fact you will more than likely find me at the Rose City Steampunks table.
The Pirate Fesitval is a blast and has a great area for kids. I've been there a few years and was thinking about volunteering this year.

Thank you Judith for posting. It's good to hear from others in the writing community.

KT Wagner said...

I'm inspired by local history. There are a wealth of stories buried in our past. Steampunk is a way to make them relevant to the broad brush issues of today. I love the "what if?" aspect of the genre (or sub genre depending on the definition).

KT

Diana McCollum said...

Enjoyed your blog and pictures. What inspires me is the unknown, the what ifs, and brain storming. I'd like to attend the steampunk convention next year. I have an interest in learning more about that genre.

maepen said...

Thank you KT. It's great to hear from you. Personally, I'm a huge History buff. What is your favorite period of history?


Hi Diana. Thank you for the compliment. I'm all for going next year with a group. There was some great workshops and wonderful costumes. Please keep reading my blogs as I bring in information on Steampunk. And check out Novemeber when we bring in some Steampunk authors.

Tam Linsey said...

Conferences always inspire me, when I can afford to go (living in Alaska means I have to add the cost of a plane ticket to the conference and the hotel) When I can't do that, I like to road trip to clear my head.