A Story Inspired

Today, an incredibly beautiful and talented young lady turns twenty years old. I first met her shortly before she turned four--she caught my eye when I saw her bouncing down the aisle in my sacrament meeting. Twice. I next saw her dancing circles around my mom and some guy in the foyer.

I married the guy. :)

But I saw her first.

Someday, I'm going to write a picture book about the love a stepmom can have for a child. The kind of love that doesn't lessen the love either of her parents feel for her; it's just another person who loves her. It's called I Saw You First. It's funny to me how sometimes the title of a story comes to me first. For this one, I have the title and the first couple of lines. It's going to be a poem I turn into a book. Rhyming and all that. Which, in large part, is why it's not written yet.

I receive story inspirations in different ways. Sometimes, an entire plot will sit down in my mind and not move until I write it down. Other times, like the above situation, it's the title that hits me first, but with a meaning I can't set aside. And, occasionally, a character will come to me with a story so powerful it can't be ignored. Though I doubt we've ever talked about it, I'm sure every writer has similar experiences. I don't know anyone who is always inspired the same way for every story they write.

It's my firm belief that the Lord speaks to each of us in ways He knows we will hear. The inspiration I receive at different times is what will actually impact me in those moments--and, as I stated before, it's not always the same thing. He knows me. And He speaks to me, but not the same way He speaks to you.

How are you inspired?