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SECOND PLACE
On Inspiration . . .
By Fred Venturini
Patoka, Illinois
Inspiration
is commonly mentioned in conjunction with writing. Just
as a baseball game cannot pass without mention of pitching,
batting, or fielding, so a writing conversation cannot
pass without mention of inspiration. Inspiration
is an elusive beast that can mean different things
to different writers. My opinion of inspiration,
which I of course believe to be the correct one, is
best relayed as a description of what it is not.
I’ve
talked to a lot of people that think they would be
good writers. They have a certain charisma
to them, they’re good speakers, and they collect
and administer their thoughts well. Often times,
they’ll even go as far as to say they would be
good writers if they could find time or inspiration. These
people think of inspiration of exactly what it isn’t—it
is most certainly not a magical moment of clarity that
all of the sudden produces and entire novel in your
mind. It isn’t a birth. It isn’t
magic. Waiting for inspiration is a surefire way
to become a failed author, or become no author at all.
Again, I relate inspiration to sports—another
place where inspiration isn’t uncommon. Micheal
Jordan is both an inspiration to many aspiring athletes,
and is an inspired athlete himself. Do these same
people that wait for inspiration to write their work
for them think that Mr. Jordan simply waited underneath
a basketball goal to be blessed with his talents? The
answer is a resounding no. Jordan, while gifted,
worked harder than perhaps any other athlete in his
generation to develop those talents and become a great
player.
This is where
the true meaning of inspiration is found. Inspiration
is a desire to do something great that comes from within,
and can often be intensified from outside sources,
although not completely produced by outside sources. When
I am inspired to write, it’s usually after reading
something so good that I’m jealous that I didn’t
write it. When I’m inspired to write, I
write, weather it’s good or bad. I read,
weather it’s good or bad. I learn. I
try to remember and absorb from both the mistakes and
quality that I encounter. Simply put, I try to
become a better writer in hopes of becoming one of
the best, and I do the work necessary to make it happen. Should
the best be reached, I will reach farther.
This
is inspiration, which is decidedly different then the “hope” type
described earlier. Look
no further than Roger Ebert of all people for an accurate
summary of inspiration, who once wrote in a review
that the muse usually visits during composition, not
before. This is the best proof that inspiration
is internal and goes hand in hand with work.
There
is a big difference between being a writer and a “waiter,” and
this is in large part due to the common misconception
about inspiration. Perhaps
the fictional meaning was created as an excuse for
laziness, because if there’s one thing I’ve
learned in my life, it is that work sometimes comes
from inspiration, but more often than not inspiration
comes from work.
Copyright (c) 2003 for the
author, all rights reserved.
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