inspiration – The World A to Z

Bucket List, Musings, The World A to Z, travel

Where Do You Find Inspiration?

May 22, 2020May 22, 2020 Judy Romano

Inspiration is the perennial wish of any writer. If you’ve ever written anything, even an essay for a high school teacher, you know that without inspiration, the words that end up on the paper are flat and boring. Travel is similar. Inspiration comes from images, movies, songs, friends’ vacations … all kinds of places. For those with wanderlust, there’s a seemingly never ending “bucket list” of places we are inspired to see.

As a writer with wanderlust, my list of ideas to write about is considerably shorter than my travel bucket list. That means I am constantly on the lookout for inspiration.

Yesterday, Greg opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for each of us while I threw something together for dinner. It was good. In fact, it was surprisingly good. I picked it up at the store because of the label and the name, Storyteller. I had no idea if it would be any good at all. It was crisp and refreshing. I tasted tart apples and sweet summer peach. It was the perfect wine for a hot Arizona day.

I grabbed the bottle and read the little thought on the back: “Sonoma wine country is brimming with fables (of varying degrees of truth) passed down through the generations, usually aided by a celebrated local wine. Storyteller wines encourage your stories to unfold in ever more fantastic versions.”

The fact that I had already finished my first glass may have contributed to my reaction, but the voice in my head said, “That’s a great inspiration!” I refilled our glasses, grabbed the bottle and set it on my desk with a little note about inspiration. I knew trying to write a blog after a glass (or two) of wine would mean a lot of editing later.

I guess the answer to “Where do you find inspiration?” is “Everywhere!” Sometimes it’s a bagpipe-playing firefighter, sometimes it’s a casual comment about a memory, sometimes it’s the label on a bottle of wine. For travel-thirsty, quarantine-stir-crazed-cabin-fever-sufferers it seems like anywhere is the answer.

The world is slowly reopening. We’re all chomping at the bit to get out there and do something – anything. Be careful. Be safe. Be curious. Be friendly.

After all, there’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored, and we all have a lifetime to keep seeing it.

Diversion, Walks

‘Tis the Season

October 10, 2019April 15, 2020 Greg R

I awoke Sunday morning to crisp, cool temperatures; the colors of the landscape full of burnt umber and orange, beckoning Judy and me out for a Fall morning walk. ‘Tis the season.

As we tied our walking shoes and pulled-on some warmth, we also grabbed water and sunscreen, for this Autumn walk would not be among shady elms and maples losing their leaves, but among the red rocks cliffs of Sedona, Arizona. On this fall day, the sun shone bright on the multi-hued rock strata that makes Sedona such a magical place. During a weekend designed for relaxation, we were ready for a bit of adventure.

When Judy and I met, I had lived one the east coast for nearly 10 years, having lived most of my life beforehand in Southern California. I joked with my west coast friends that California had only two seasons — brown and three weeks of green — as I welcomed the changing seasons. Judy took me on my first “leaf peeping” trip to Pennsylvania. A to Z trips to Krakow and Nuremberg were conducted in winter. In Venice, we experienced “Aqua Alta;” in Hawaii, torrential rains. We have never confined our trips to one season, because experiencing different seasons and weather around the world is part of the adventure!

Since we’ve moved to Arizona, we’ve come to appreciate seasons even more, and this little weekend getaway to Sedona was a reminder that no matter where you are or go, there are great opportunities to get outside and experience the constant change that nature brings us.

There’s a whole world out there, waiting to be explored. Go see it, and enjoy whatever the weather brings you. ‘Tis the season!

Musings

Writing – It’s In My DNA

August 1, 2019April 15, 2020 Judy Romano

I’ve been reading a series of books by the same author for almost two years. I am so obsessed by the ongoing stories of the heroine that I have eschewed other authors as I dove into and through every one of the books published to-date in the series to catch up to the present. The next book isn’t due out for 6 weeks, so I returned the previous series I was reading to catch up on the five books that came out during my obsession.

A single chapter in and I am struck by the extreme differences in writing styles of these two best-selling authors. One is complex, even a bit cerebral, and challenges my academic sense while appealing to my dream of a world-class, jet-setting life. The other is more common and allows me to relate to the more realistic life of the heroine and her job while feeding those dreams of wealth and jet-set life the lead character finds herself in after a surprisingly fortuitous and deliciously passionate marriage. Despite the disparate styles of these authors, reading their novels compels me to write; to put pen to paper and give ink to the thoughts that occupy my waking moments. They inspire me .. and they help me realize that my style is yet a third style of writing for future readers to enjoy.

Inspiration — incentive — perhaps even a new-found enthusiasm for writing that seems to have evaded me for almost 10 years. Determination to re-find my muse and restart a process I had essentially abandoned.

Stay tuned — a novel is in the works.