I had planned to write on the effect ego can play in the writer’s life today, but it just kept feeling a bit petty and cynical.  Suffice it to say that we all need to constantly keep our egos in check, to keep them from growing over-inflated and believing that the ONLY reason we aren’t published is the market bias. But also to keep the ego from being under-inflated and believing that we are completely worthless and have no hope of ever seeing our writing make a difference.  Both are likely untrue, but hold enough kernels of truth to make them believable.

Even writing that is only read by you and God can make an impact upon the world, as that writing will have changed you, and you interact with the world. And maybe market bias is having some impact on your being published, but you have to take a close hard look at your writing craft as well and ask “Is this my absolute best?”

Anyway enough on that. Let’s talk about things that have inspired you, either as a reader, viewer or writer.

What are some things that have inspired you? Have filled you with the urge to write, or left you with a sense of refreshment and a feeling that you were ready to go out and conquer the world?  Or perhaps inspired you to make some kind of change in your life?

One thing that inspired me to believe I really could write CSFF is R.A. Salvatore’s The Cleric Quintet. This is the story of a young cleric named Cadderly who experiences a journey of faith while battling evil that is infesting his monastery. Over the course of the five short novels we follow Cadderly as he transitions from a man troubled by doubts to a true devoted follower, willing to sacrifice all for his god.

The thought that a story set within a Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms world could show such a journey of faith, woven smoothly in with the action and plot, showed me what was possible within my own writing. The Cleric Quintet isn’t perfect writing, but it was enough to light the spark within me and get me moving on my dream.

So how about you?  What inspirations can you share with us today?