Inspiration 12/1/13

As we enter the long, dark winter season, I wanted to leave you with a quick reminder:
If summers were endless, their beauty would be less appreciated.

Inspiration 11/10/13

A Note and Inspiration 11/6/13

So I had the rest of this week scheduled out with an awesome craft adventure and a book review. My awesome craft is almost finished, however it requires a little bit of time outside, since aerosols and asthma don't mix, and shockingly, it will not stop raining in Portland this time of year. I'm not sure what I was expecting... but there's a slight delay in the final product. So hold that thought.

The book review that I was hoping to do was on Allegiant, the third and final book of the Insurgent trilogy. Well, I read it. And I have decided that there is no way I can do a review without giving something away, and that just will not do for those who haven't read the books, but may in the future. So... here's a pretty picture. I will come up with something awesome for you tomorrow. 

Inspiration 10/31/13

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. 

-Elizabeth Foley

Inspiration 10/24/13

Inspiration 10/22/13

Inspiration 10/17/13

Writing Class Review

A few weeks ago, I finished a 6-week writing course called "Writeriffic" through the local community college's ed2go program. From what I understand, most community colleges are offering ed2go as community education through online courses. Needless to say, people in my class were from all over the country. New lessons were released Wednesday and Friday mornings, although you could review the lesson at your convenience.

The class's instructor, Eva Shaw, is a well-published author, who provides insights on inspiration, motivation, and how to get published. Dr. Shaw's amusing conversational style makes the words on the screen come to life, as if you were attending an interactive lecture instead of reading the course via computer. The class is less about how to write and more about how to continually write, and with success.

I took the class on a whim to try to find out more about what I am interested in, and came away inspired. The homework assignments were applicable to both fiction and non-fiction writers, although my works all ended up being fiction, unsurprising to me. Once I forced myself to write about the topics presented, I found a momentum previously hidden to create continuously. Writer's block beware; after this course, it becomes a thing of the past.

The theme of the class was write everyday and write what you (and everyone else) would want to read. Forcing yourself to submit your writing for feedback from the instructor and your peers can be a bit intimidating. It was so worth it! Everyone was helpful and encouraging with their feedback. As an added bonus, you get to read stories and articles from other aspiring authors.

During the course, I was inspired to start a few different creative projects. Writing this blog has forced me to write something every day, even if it is on various non-fiction topics. Maybe one day I will share my fiction, although I'm not totally there yet in my head. I know what Dr. Shaw would say about that, although you will have to take the class to find out.

Dr. Eva Shaw has other writing classes offered on ed2go on various topics, so you may find one that interests you. Her classes seem to run every 8 weeks, although I am sure that she takes time off here and there. The class was $99 and I say that it was well worth the money. I took another class on a different topic with a different instructor at the same time as this one, and will not be writing a review about it. If you can't say anything nice...

And with that, I will leave you with today's inspirational quote. I'm going to have to display this one in my office for motivation.

Inspiration 10/11/13