Ear Bugs

Three songs that inspire me or lift my mood:

• "It's Coming Up" by Paul McCartney--I actually think of this as my theme song. This is going to sound totally dorky, but I tend to think of myself as a flower--I need lots of sun and water, and if I'm tired I get all droopy. This song always makes me feel optimistic.
• "Tequila Sunrise" by The Eagles--I am a huge Eagles fan, and this is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love how it evokes a mood and tells a story.
• "Even if it Breaks Your Heart" by Will Hoge--This is my current ear bug. I love the message of this song and the melody is perfect.
  

So now that it's clear I listen to a lot of classic rock, what are some of your most inspirational songs?

Dream List To-Dos

If money were no object, I would:

1. Pay off my student loans.
2. Visit Edinburgh, Scotland.
3. Start a scholarship for women in liberal arts.
4. Live off Veuve Clicquot.
5. Open a bookstore.
   

What sort of things would you do?

Inspiration

Travel can be scary and stressful. The last time I flew, I declared I never wanted to be in sight of an airport ever again. I do not enjoy being trapped on a plane or in a car for hours on end, or having to sleep in strange places and live out of a suitcase.

But traveling can also be inspirational. Going to different places and learning about them first-hand is my biggest source of inspiration. In one of my current works in progress, my heroine goes to Rome and Florence, and through her I re-experienced some of my favorite places in Italy.

The thing is, I would never be able to write a story like that if I hadn't been there. I'm horrible at translating descriptions into a visual reality (one of the reasons why I dislike long descriptions in books), so if I tried to write about Florence based on guidebook descriptions, it wouldn't make any sense. But I also wouldn't be interested in writing about Florence if I hadn't been there--I wouldn't have anything to connect it to in my mind that would make me think, "This setting would be perfect for a story!"

Whether it's horrible or fun, travel is an experience. Going to other places makes me think, "What would would it be like to live here?" and have some first-hand experience to help answer that question. The rest is inspiration.

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