Things that Inspire Me

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I don't know how other authors and writers feel, but for me, a story can be sparked by just about anything I see, feel, hear, or do.  Sometimes it can be the oddest thing that provides the first concept of a novel or fairy tale.  For instance, the titular novella in my upcoming  short-story collection, The Madman of Elkriahl, first began to take form when I was playing around with random syllables, and that weird looking word came out.  

And my first book, Quest for the Ivory Sword, was inspired by a dead stick.  

That doesn't really sound glamorous when I say it that way....

How about- "it was inspired by a diminutive and slender tree branch that had long ago expired"?

As you can see, inspiration for me can really come from anything at all.  (Of course, God is the ultimate source of inspiration:  who else made the sticks or the syllables, eh?)  

But anyway, the following is a list of specific things that continue to inspire me every time I encounter them.  Maybe these will inspire you too!  Let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to tell me about what inspires you.  I'd love to hear about it!

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Train Tracks

Cottonwood Seeds on the Wind

Light through a Leafy Canopy

A Path that Bends out of Sight

Pine Trees on a Hill

Wide, Rolling Plains

Crows

Cold Autumn Days

Spring Fog

Faces

Songs by Sting

Songs by Thomas Newman

Blank Books

Dancers

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-Emmarayn Reddng

(Images taken from the public domain.  Songs uploaded from You Tube.  All credit for these works goes to their respective copyright owners.)