4×4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration: Group Writing Project

March 14, 2008 · by Joanna Paterson · in

I was tagged a few weeks back by Valeria Maltoni at Conversation Agent in a post she called “Revealing Yourself To Others” (gulp!) The idea of the tag was to share some secrets about yourself, set out in a 4×4 format: four headings, each with four things.

Valeria added her own twist to this by revealing things that were about her business perspective rather than personal revelations (an approach I broadly share, especially for those of us writing business blogs).

Her tag came with a twist and a challenge too, to see if I could turn it into a group writing project.

Well, I can’t resist a challenge and I thought it might be fun to see where this one takes us.

Like Valeria I’ve taken the format and applied it to what I’m working on here at the moment: the theme of writing and inspiration.

My 4 x 4 things are all about sources of writing inspiration (or its opposite), or words and writing that have inspired me. Have a look at them first, then I’ll explain how the project will work:

My 4×4 Sources of Writing Inspiration

4 Places That Demand I Write

I have a strong sense of place – it’s probably my most powerful source (and not just for writing). The places that have worked the most magic are:

1. Skye: inspired my first book (Short Walks on Skye)

2. Arran: inspiring photos just now – the words will follow

3. Mexico: inspired my first blog (Unfolding Stories)

4. Places In Between Places: trains, ferries, bus journeys… always get the words to flow

4 Unspiring Things That Dampen My Writing Inspiration

I wasn’t sure what the opposite of inspire was (more on this next week). But I came across this shorthand form of “uninspiring” which seemed to capture the mood for me.

1. Things that are labelled as ‘motivating’, ‘inspiring’, ‘inspirational’. I resist being told what to think, do and feel. This was my main reservation about pursuing “inspiration” as a theme for this month.

2. Seeing my words come out as cliches, knowing I’m trying too hard. = time for a break.

3. Getting stuck in ‘broadcast’ mode, talking not listening – both when I do it, and when it feels like others are too

4. Language of necessity: should, have to, must

4 Quotes That Give Fuel To My Fire-Breathing Writing Dragon

1. “At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want” (Lao Tzu)

2. “It is never too late to be what you might have been” (George Eliot)

3. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” (Oscar Wilde)

4. “You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?” (Rumi)

4 Poems That Inspire Me To Live Life On Purpose

1. “Let’s Take A Break” by Stephen Dobyns

I think I stumbled across this in a newspaper. I cut it out and kept this verse above my civil service desk for a very long time before I made my exit to some exotic land.

“Let’s take a break. Let’s exit to some exotic land
Where fat mice snooze beneath sombreros and at sundown
Owls swoop from the palm trees crying: Quien, quien?”

2. “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

This poem saved my bacon. I’ll tell you about it… some day. Here’s the last few lines:

“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”

3. “Late Fragment”

by Raymond Carver

Requires no explanation. Here’s the whole poem:

“And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.”

4. “Entirely” by Louis MacNeice

I keep this verse pinned up on my noticeboard. I hope I’ll get the message eventually.

“And if the world were black or white entirely
And all the charts were plain
Instead of a mad weir of tigerish waters,
A prism of delight and pain,
We might be surer where we wished to go
Or again we might be merely
Bored but in the brute reality there is no
Road that is right entirely.”

4 x 4 Sources Of Writing Inspiration: Group Writing Project

I hope that gives you an idea of the format this project will follow… Here’s how I think we can make it work. To take part:

  • Share 4 lots of 4 things on the theme of writing and inspiration
  • You don’t need to follow these headings: there are zillions of possibilities (4 blogs, 4 books, 4 authors, 4 people, 4 teachers, 4 pieces of music, 4 paintings and so on)
  • But please stick to the format of 4 x 4 and the theme of writing and inspiration
  • Post your contribution by 28th March (midnight, your time)
  • Let me know you’ve written your piece, by linking to this post, leaving a comment on the post, or contacting me

I’ll then publish a set of links to all the entries in early April, and, depending on how it turns out, will try and find some way to publish a compilation of the material you come up with.

Because that is what I think might be most interesting (and yes, inspiring) about the project – the chance to learn more about each other, to find what inspires us, to learn what helps us to write, what sources we turn to, what resources we already hold.

I’m also offering a small prize (based on a random draw of entries), a book again – can’t resist them.

This time it’s The Writers’ Block: 786 Ideas To Jump-Start Your Imagination by Jason Rekulak. A useful resource for those times when we’re running low on inspiration.

I can’t think of any more ‘rules’ (I don’t like rules, most unspiring), but should add one thing – this started life as a meme, so if you want to play your own version of 4×4 based on anything you want, please do. That’s the idea of memes after all.

But if you want me to include the results in the final group writing project you’ll need to follow the guidelines set out above.

Okay, I think that’s everything. I look forward to learning more about what inspires you to write!