Bluebonnets and Inspiration

We're in Texas on our way to spend a few days in the Hill Country west of San Antonio where the bluebonnets are blooming. The Texas state flower can put on a spectacular show.

April is National Poetry month. Now, who wouldn't want to write a poem about something this beautiful? The best time to do it is when the inspiration hits. That means I should have pad and pen while traveling in the car. The emotion is not the same sitting in a hotel room later. That old adage Strike while the  iron's hot applies here.

It's why you should write a story about your favorite holiday when that holiday is upon us, not six months later while you're just thinking about it. It's why you write the best travel stories when you're traveling, not two weeks after you return home. Oh sure, you can do it but it's so much better to write at the time you're in a new place.

What if inspiration hits when you have a long list of other things to do first? Those of us who are sometime writers run into this situation many times. If you can't delay the other things, at least make some notes about what inspired you and what you want to include in your writing. Then, get to it as soon as you can.

I've told you about the poet who suggested writing a poem from a dream but do it immediately upon waking. If you wake in the night after dreaming, that's the time to write. I know, I know--who wants to get out of a warm, cozy bed, pad barefoot in a possibly cold house to write? You might be very happy you did so. The best poem I ever wrote came that way, although I didn't get up in the middle of the night, I started writing immediately upon waking in the morning.

If you're inspired to write, do it as fast as possible. We're moving deeper into the Hill Country today and I'm hoping for more inspiration. Today, I'll have my pad and pen right next to me in the car. Come back tomorrow to see what our travels brought us on this Monday in April.