Inspiration

What are you listening to right this moment?

Me? Silence. Well, the dog is snoring, but otherwise it is blissfully quiet because my kids are back in school. Once again I have the house to myself for 6.5 hours every day. Don't get me wrong. I love my kids, but I appreciate them a little more after they've been at school all day.

One thing the school year brings me (besides silence) is time to write. This is good because I have a long list of projects and some are due very quickly. I start to panic on perfectly-quiet writing days like today. Too much pressure to be brilliant or something, but sometimes I can't come up with even one decent word to write.

One of the things I've learned to do when I'm paralyzed is step away from the keyboard and read someone else's brilliant stuff. I'm currently reading Operating Instructions by the irreverent and brilliant Anne Lamott. I may not always agree with her, but Anne's spare prose and colorful metaphors inspire me.

After I spend an hour or so with her, I'm just itching to get back to the keyboard and write something (semi) brilliant of my own.