~ Day 12 ~ WAITING FOR INSPIRATION ~ Chapter 10 ~
When I say the word "Inspiration", a sense of well being and inner peace floods my mind and fills my heart. Cecil shares an example of experiencing inspiration while getting ready to shut down his computer so he could go out and work in his flower garden. He says, "Just then, an idea flashed for a chapter in this book. Instead of rushing outside, I turned to my keyboard, opened a new document, and began to type."
Cecil writes, "The words gushed from paragraph to paragraph. I paused a few times to rethink ideas, but within an hour I had completed a full draft of a major article. I could polish it later. In the meantime, I felt calm and peaceful, even though I wouldn't say God inspired me. And it wasn't that powerful, unconscious experience that I would call "writing in the flow."
Cecil goes on to say, "I believe in divine inspiration, but I don't know how to describe it". In the New Testament, a Greek word that appears only in 2 Timothy 3:16 is usually translated inspiration (theopneustos), but it means, "God breathed."
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, when reading and thinking about this inspiring chapter, I am reminded of many times when I am just about to go to sleep at night or when I first wake in the morning a thought or an idea will come to me. I have even woke in the middle of the night with an idea thinking that I would remember it in the morning only to find that I could not remember what it was about and regretting that I had not taken the time to get up and jot at least an outline of the idea.
I believe this is a form or inspiration. I have read articles on this topic that say when we are just about to go to sleep or wake up we are most in tuned to inspiration whether it is Divine or simply our own thoughts. Some experts call it the Alpha State. It's when we are at our most relaxed state. I have found while driving in the car or taking a walk also gives me the opportunity to open myself to ideas and inspirations. We are not distracted by the business of everyday life.
Cecil writes, "Think of inspiration as a powerful compulsion to write something that's accompanied by an inner sense of how to write it. Everything seems to flow easily and after you've composed your chapter you say, "It almost wrote itself."
He goes on to say, "Think of inspiration as a gift that God occasionally (perhaps rarely) sends your way. You don't have any supreme spiritual awareness or sense of being under divine control. In those powerful pleasurable moments, your full concentration remains on the words that flow through your head and into your fingertips and on to the screen."
"If you work on your craft and write regularly", Cecil says, "you develop whatever talent you have. The more you use what you have, the greater your improvement."
I can relate to the above statement. Several years ago I decided I wanted to try my hand at singing solo. I grew up singing with my family at public gatherings but had never song solo. Although I new I could cary a tune I still needed to develop my singing voice. I took vocal lessons and purchased a sound system with a mic. A mic was very helpful for me because I do not have a strong voice. After a few months of voice lessons and practicing I was able to sing my first solo!
Writing is the same. It takes practice and time to develop your skills. Connecting with other writers that can give you advice and encouragment, along with reading good books, such as Cecil's, can go a long way to help you develop your gift.
The Aphorism for this chapter is: " I work hard at my craft. I don't always get inpsired, but I finish my work."
Until Tomorrow,
God Bless,
Terilyn
Aphorism # 10 : "I work hard at my craft.
I don't always get inpsired,
but I finish my work."
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