Saturday, January 28, 2012

Inspirations Anyone?

As a writer, I find inspiration all around me:  conversations, traffic, watching people (and listening), photos, memories, thoughts, gestures, mannerisms, etc....

Have you ever based a piece of work, say a poem or short story, on another piece of work?  I have.  Twice actually.  They're short poems, but inspired by another person's creation.  I always include the credit at the top of the piece, and verbalize it each time I share them aloud.  Just curious if anyone else has ever based your work on someone else's.  If so, how did it go?  Naturally, I'm not advocating taking credit for another person's work.  That's PLAGERISM - HELLO! 

Since we're all creators, and inspirations come from everywhere (and from no where sometimes), how do you incorporate your ideas into someone else's?  Just curious.

If you've never tried it, and something hits you - a song, a movie, a book, a photo, try it.  If you get stuck on writer's block, millions of resources are out there.  Just please remember to give proper credit!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Bayou Writers' Group of Lake Charles

     Yesterday was the first meeting of 2012 for my writing group, and what a way to begin the new year!  We had such a great time at our meeting.  Dry Creek author Curt Iles gave an excellent presentation about his research for his ninth book "A Spent Bullet."  Time flew by, as it always does.  Along with "A Spent Bullet," he also has a companion children's book.  After the meeting broke, many of us continued visiting at Ryan's for lunch.
     If you're looking for a writing group, check out http://www.bayouwritersgroup.com/.  We'd love to have you.  Our membership is growing, we're involved in the community, and each November we host a writing conference.  We're in the process of securing an excellent group of speakers for this year.  I encourage you to get serious about your writing before you wake up one day and realize you're 70 years old and never wrote that book you wanted to write.  We'll help you with resources, editing, feedback, but most importantly we'll help you make new friends.
     Speaking of being involved in the community, some of us read our poetry at The Porch Coffee House in Lake Charles Friday night.  The First Friday Reading Series is sponsored by the Arts & Humanitites and is held on the first Friday of each month.  Bayou Writers' Group was the first group invited to read last January and to help celebrate the event's one-year anniversary, we were invited back.  We had a blast!
     If you're a writer, or want to be a writer, come check out the Bayou Writers' Group.  We'd love to have you.  Keep an eye on our website as we update conference details throughout the year.