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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?

  1. Family

  2. Friends

  3. Colleagues

  4. Bison

  5. Adirondack Bear Paw ice cream from Stewarts

  6. Old barns

  7. Covered bridges

  8. Hiking

  9. Ornamental grass

  10. Lemons

  11. Pinto ponies

  12. Country music

  13. New Wave music

  14. Westerns

  15. The 1800s

  16. Bigfoot

  17. Three bean salad

  18. My Chevrolet Avalanche

  19. The Crazy Horse memorial in South Dakota and The Black Hills

  20. Yellowstone

  21. Algonquin Mountain in New York State

  22. The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland

  23. The Adirondack Mountains in New York State

  24. The Grinch, starring Jim Carrey

  25. Landscape paintings

  26. Massages

  27. Labyrinths

  28. Snow

  29. Dead trees

  30. Horseradish

  31. Archaeology

  32. Black cats

  33. Wyoming

  34. Wanderlust

  35. Ray Charles

  36. Waterfalls

  37. Santa Claus

  38. Coffee

  39. Silver dollars

  40. Megalithic stone structures

  41. Trout

  42. Our air fryer

  43. Log cabins

  44. Pine cones

  45. Kayaking

  46. Sage

  47. Pinball machines

  48. Museums and presidential libraries

  49. Historical mile markers on the side of the roadway

  50. Texas barbeque

  51. Hot tubs

  52. Aruba

  53. Vintage post cards

  54. Unusual old-fashioned names

  55. Whiskey sours that aren't too boozy (I'm a lightweight nowadays)

  56. Washing dishes (isn't that weird?)

  57. Getting my head shaved

  58. Deja vu moments

  59. Chickens

  60. Hearing a song I had forgotten and remembering how much I love it

  61. Getting into a hot car after being in an over-airconditioned room

  62. Irish accents

  63. Remembering people's names

  64. Antique oil lamps

  65. National parks

  66. Trains

  67. Old newspapers

  68. Spectacular views

  69. Colorful sunsets

  70. Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette

  71. Duets

  72. Fish sticks

  73. Wet moss

  74. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

  75. Artists

  76. Employee ownership

  77. Wallpaper

  78. Genealogy

  79. Robert Duvall

  80. The African Queen, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn

  81. The Changeling, starring George C. Scott

  82. Dirt roads

  83. Authors

  84. The Marshall Tucker Band

  85. Lobster

  86. Daydreaming

  87. Tina Turner

  88. Wind chimes

  89. Trumpeter swans

  90. Copperas Pond, near Lake Placid, New York

  91. Pickles & onions (it's not cheating to name two if they're better together)

  92. Covered wagons

  93. York Peppermint Patties

  94. The Halfsies girl

  95. Blue ribbons

  96. Wild horses

  97. Blueberries

  98. Historical road signs

  99. Old pictures

  100. Writing fiction

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Country Music

I listed country music as an inspiration. When I want to put myself in the writing zone, I often play the Marshall Tucker Band or Tammy Wynette. I can't explain why or how, but it usually solves my writer's block.

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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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