As a writer, there are constantly ideas that pop into my head - normally at the most inopportune moments - and it's a scurry to find a piece of paper or 'notes' on my mobile, to capture the inspiration before it vanishes back into the ether!
I have to say, my most common place to be inspired, is whilst driving the car. It's a matter then, of repeating the thought over and over until there is a place to safely stop and make notes. I have been known to stop four times within the space of 2 miles as various ideas came to me. (Luckily, this was a quiet country road, and stopping by the grass verge wasn't an issue!)
However, this week, I sit looking down the valley towards Stirling and the tower that is Wallace Monument rising 220ft from Abbey Craig - visible for miles around. The sun is setting and the wind is gently blowing the leaves in the trees. This is Scotland - for me, a world of beauty and inspiration. The world has stopped spinning, the chaos of life slows to a snail's pace and my inner voice can be heard just that little louder.
My family home, where I grew up and sit right now, is surrounded by wildlife. Consistently, we have a pheasant and his family of chicks; red squirrels; a hedgehog; two hares; mice that live below the bird feeder (and why wouldn't you with food dropping from the sky every day?!); deer; bats; an owl; a weasel, and of course, the obligatory garden birds. This conglomeration of creatures means that, as a children's book writer, it is only right that the above list is affectionately named, such as Reggie the red squirrel, Miles the mouse, and Dierdre the deer, and their lives become part of an adventure.
I am so grateful that inspiration is everywhere I look and relaxation is accrued in abundance. Location, location, location - location of the mind, location of your body, location of soul. In order to be creative, all three are essential.
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