Wednesday, February 5, 2020

IWSG: Wednesday, February 5, 2020 ~ Writing Inspirations






It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.






To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex Cavanaugh are Lee Lowrey, Jennifer Hawes,
Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Catharina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson.

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.
I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:

Has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did you finish it? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy February, Everyone!
I hope that your writing is going well this year.
I feel great about what I have accomplished so far.

With regard to this month's question,
a single photo or work of art has never inspired a story for me;
although, as a second and third grade teacher, I sometimes used
a photo or other objects as prompts for writing with my students.
I never considered the little demonstration pieces I wrote 
as my real writing, even if I felt inspired.  

However, landscapes often inspire me when I'm writing,
and I will use photos to help ground my story in a particular place and time.
Several years ago I wrote a short story "The Immigrants"
which was inspired by the Fundy Shore near Beautiful Cove on Long Island.


The Fundy Shore
Beautiful Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
August 2, 2016
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




Writers is an encompassing term, and writers write
in many genres which extend beyond fictional stories.
Yes, I write fictional short stories and have a novel in the works,
but I generally write nonfiction and have done so throughout my life.

A major nonfiction genre for me is blogging.
To date I have published 574 posts.
I might have published one post without a photograph.
Photographs have definitely inspired me to write certain posts.

This photo of a little blond pooch inspired my post The Art Lover.
Terry and I had spent a long day traipsing around Florence
and were trudging through the crowded Piazzale degli Uffizi
looking for a sidewalk cafe where we could rest our weary feet
and enjoy cool Aperol Spritzes in the shade.

The sight of this delightful little art lover collapsed
the busy, overwhelming kaleidoscope that is Florence
into something my tired mind could embrace,
and I will remember this moment long after grander ones are forgotten.   


Entranced by Obama!
Piazzale degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy
September 16, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




I had the honor of being chosen for this year's IWSG anthology.
The inspiration for my short story "Dare Double Dare"
was my great grandmother's home which was built in 1785.
I drew on memories and photos for my short story,
but I thought I'd share a work of art illustrating her home:
a rug she, Sara Cossaboom, hooked nearly a century ago.


My Great Grandmother's House
by Sara Cossaboom
Smith's Cove Old Temperance Hall Museum
Summer 2015
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




We ten authors featured in the IWSG anthology The Third Ghoshave a blog.  
Today, IWSG Day, the spotlight is on Roland Clarke and his short story "Feathered Fire."  
We'd love to have you visit!
 https://iwsganthologies.blogspot.com


Courtesy of Dancing Lemur Press/Freedom Fox Press







Happy writing in February!





37 comments:

  1. What a treasure your great-grandmother's rug is!

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    1. Thanks, Debra! Her rug is in the Smith's Cove Old Temperance Hall Museum, along with others of hers and some of Grammie's too (her daughter). There are some amazing hookers in our family including my "Aunt" (cousin) Mary Lou Raymond. My three sisters are skilled hookers too. I tried, but I'm too ADHD to handle it ~ LOL! Have a good one!

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  2. That's wild she made a rug of her home! Glad it inspired you to write that story.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Alex! Great Grammie was a skilled hooker, and rug hooking is a traditional art in Nova Scotia (among other places). The Smith's Cove Museum has a number of her rugs. One is really sad, because it deals with the drowning of one of her four daughters. I love this rug, because it shows her great love of flowers. She was a master garden. She had one garden patch she called her Jesus garden, and it was filled with wildflowers like lady's slipper orchids that no one else around her could grow.

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  3. Cute puppy! He is probably wondering what that is. The picture is so stretched out maybe he can't tell!

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    1. I loved that little dog, Sandi! I suspect that he belonged to the caricaturist, because there is water dish near him.

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  4. I love that little dog photo. Back when a lot of publications used stock photos, that one would've been in high demand.

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    Replies
    1. Oh darn. I missed out! Just kidding. I love snapping a candid like this. Have a great day, Diane!

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  5. Oh my gosh what a sweet little dog! Love that photo. Also what a treasure that rug is. Even more so that it inspired your winning story. Congrats!

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    1. Thanks, Julie! The rug is beautiful, and I'm glad that it is in a museum where many people can enjoy it when it is on display. Have a great IWSG Day!

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  6. How great that you're pleased with your writing accomplishments so far this year! :)

    Love the pic of the little dog - what a sweetie!

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    1. Thanks, Madeline! What would our world be without dogs, especially cuties like this one? Wishing you all the best in February!

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  7. Your inspirations are inspiring! Honestly, your work inspires me every single time. Haha, the puppy actually looks as if he was instructed to sit there. How cute is that. Happy February, my dear friend.

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    1. Thanks you, Joylene ~ You are always so supportive! I'm sure that puppy attached as many customers for the caricaturist as the caricatures did. If I'm lucky enough to get back to Florence, I'm planning to see if the doggie is still there. Hugs to you!

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  8. Beautiful landscape photo. And that dog...! Congrats on being included in the anthology :-)

    Ronel visiting on IWSG day Project Evergreen

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ronel! I've been all over the rocks in the landscape photo. Almost every time I go back to the islands off Digby Neck in Nova Scotia, I get down to Beautiful Cove to climb around. You should see it in the fog! Happy writing in February!

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  9. That's a beautiful rug. I think landscapes might help me if I right book 2 in my current series. Thanks for the tip.

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    Replies
    1. Happy IWSG Day, Natalie! I'm glad that I was able to give you a tip. You have so much going on, I don't know how you do it! All the best to you in February.

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  10. Great pics. Love the coastline and the pup best of all. :-)

    Anna from elements of emaginette

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Anna! How could anyone not love a pup like that? He makes me want to get a dog, but I travel too much. :( Happy writing in February!

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  11. I'm in the thousands of posts. I know I'll never make it to a million though

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    1. You're amazing, Adam! You publish posts faster than I can read, and you have prompted me to look into all kinds of things with your posts ~ Fascinating thing that I've often not known a lot about!

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  12. haha the pup sure looks fascinated with him. A picture sure can bring about much. I don't remember many, if any, of your blog posts without pictures. The fundy shore looks like sooo many other shores I see here though. All shore-d out these days lol

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    1. What can I say, Pat! I love taking pictures as much as writing. I get very homesick for shores, especially on the snow-covered high prairies. But I can appreciate how you feel. All the best to you, my shore-d out friend!

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    2. I'd probably miss it if I wasn't here too, but pffft. Snow and ice can go away. As it keeps coming down today.

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  13. I had to pop over after I saw your comment - mainly because of the Fundy reference. These pictures are all so charming! Who could not be inspired? I especially like the one from the Bay of Fundy. I lived in NS for five years, and as happy as I am to be back west, the place leaves a mark on your soul!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words, Donna! You are so right: Nova Scotia leaves a mark on your soul. I wasn't sure if you were a new IWSG member, or if you were a returning one. Either way, welcome! The IWSG is a great group of supportive writers!

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  14. What a wonderful tale, and Congratulations on your inclusion in the anthology! Love that rug, how special! And the little dog, too cute!

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    1. Thank you, Yolanda Renée! I hope that you had fun visiting around yesterday!

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  15. Congratulations. I started blogging in 2004, and at the time didn't own a digital camera and phones were still for talking so the first few years of my blogging, it was mostly text! I like the rock and water picture... there are no rocks here.

    www.thepulpitandthepen.com

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  16. I'm a sucker for small pups. Awesome about the anthology. As always, I enjoy your post and pictures when I visit every month. Happy IWSG!

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  17. I'm not sure if my comment went through, so you may get this twice LOL. I often use landscapes to inspire little stories in my head too. I am not a write, but an avid reader. I will often Google landscape images to for a better picture in my mind on what I'm reading.

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.