David Fitz-Gerald
Inspiration
I thought I'd make a quick list of 100 "things" I love, cherish, admire, or appreciate. It's a fun challenge to take on. Since I made my initial list, I've taken a couple off and replaced them with some new discoveries. How many of these would you put on your list?
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Family
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Friends
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Colleagues
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Bison
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Adirondack Bear Paw ice cream from Stewarts
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Old barns
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Covered bridges
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Hiking
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Ornamental grass
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Lemons
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Pinto ponies
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Country music
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New Wave music
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Westerns
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The 1800s
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Bigfoot
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Three bean salad
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My Chevrolet Avalanche
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The Crazy Horse memorial in South Dakota and The Black Hills
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Yellowstone
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Algonquin Mountain in New York State
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The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland
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The Adirondack Mountains in New York State
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The Grinch, starring Jim Carrey
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Landscape paintings
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Massages
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Labyrinths
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Snow
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Dead trees
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Horseradish
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Archaeology
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Black cats
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Wyoming
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Wanderlust
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Ray Charles
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Waterfalls
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Santa Claus
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Coffee
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Silver dollars
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Megalithic stone structures
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Trout
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Our air fryer
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Log cabins
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Pine cones
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Kayaking
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Sage
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Pinball machines
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Museums and presidential libraries
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Historical mile markers on the side of the roadway
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Texas barbeque
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Hot tubs
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Aruba
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Vintage post cards
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Unusual old-fashioned names
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Whiskey sours that aren't too boozy (I'm a lightweight nowadays)
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Washing dishes (isn't that weird?)
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Getting my head shaved
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Deja vu moments
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Chickens
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Hearing a song I had forgotten and remembering how much I love it
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Getting into a hot car after being in an over-airconditioned room
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Irish accents
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Remembering people's names
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Antique oil lamps
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National parks
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Trains
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Old newspapers
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Spectacular views
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Colorful sunsets
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Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette
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Duets
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Fish sticks
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Wet moss
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Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
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Artists
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Employee ownership
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Wallpaper
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Genealogy
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Robert Duvall
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The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn
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The Changeling, starring George C. Scott
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Dirt roads
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Authors
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The Marshall Tucker Band
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Lobster
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Daydreaming
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Tina Turner
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Wind chimes
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Trumpeter swans
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Copperas Pond, near Lake Placid, New York
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Pickles & onions (it's not cheating to name two if they're better together)
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Covered wagons
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York Peppermint Patties
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The Halfsies girl
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Blue ribbons
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Wild horses
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Blueberries
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Historical road signs
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Old pictures
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Writing fiction
Writing Fiction
It's my favorite thing to do, and I spend as much time clicking on the keyboard as I can. The perfect way to spend a vacation day, holiday, or Saturday is to cook up a new story!
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An author's best friend is their writing platform. I've tried many but now that I've discovered Atticus, I'm hooked. It's so easy, I can't recommend it enough. When I'm asked what should aspiring authors do, I say invest in Atticus! Here's a link: https://www.atticus.io/
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I also use Plotter. Large writing projects get complicated fast. This software helps prevent me from missing important story elements. If you're interested, you can find it here: https://plottr.com/
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All my books have been written on Microsoft Surface Pro tablet computers. They don't weigh much and aren't a heavy burden to carry. So, I take mine everywhere.
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Often, I'll spend all weekend at my desk, especially when bursts of inspiration come along. Sitting all day causes aches, pains, and, research says, lots of long term health issues. I'm so glad I finally picked up a VariDesk. It lifts and drops easily and was super easy to set up.
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There are many references I rely on. My favorite and most utilized writing craft tool is The Emotion Thesaurus. I recommend the paperback and mine has dozens of bookmarks in it.
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I wish I could recommend a perfect desk chair, but I haven't discovered one yet!
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