Think about it – something as small as a mere spark could set the flame to a blazing fire. It’s the same thing with writing. Something as small as the look on a parent’s face, or a sentence written by an author, or the way someone said something can branch out into an idea for a whole story.  The writing pieces I have done for English were all inpired by something in my life – whether that inspiration be big or small.

Your own experience – “Moral Obligation…Maternal Instinct?” was inpired by my experiences with working in groups and feeling that its my duty to take care of the people around me – and I will admit, it goes a little too far sometimes.

Other people’s lives – My piece titled, “It Goes Without Saying” was inspired by my brother. He really messed our family up at one point, but who knew I’d get a great writing piece out of it? After all, God closes one door and opens another.

Your geneaology – I know it doesn’t look it, but “The Light” was inspired by the genes I got from my mom. She raised me to think we should be nice to anybody and everybody – and Micheal Fowlin just built upon that.

Where you live – The piece “Sanctuary” was inspired by the woods in my backyard. Though I didn’t live through the Depression, my mom did, and she told me all about it. When she told me the stories, for whatever reason, I’d always think about the long stretch of woods I lived by, and it’s a perfect place to go when things get overwhelming.

Mothers and Fathers – My mother may be one of the strangest people I’ve ever met, and I love her for it. She’s also in a way immature, which ultimately colors my life, along with her’s. “Spring Fever” is purely about my mother and her childish, but inevidably loveable passion for spring.

Vacations – Okay, so camp isn’t considered a vacation. Well, it is for me, and that’s all I’m concerned about. This may have been the worst day I’ve had at camp during the seven – going on eight- years I’ve spent there. Well, at least it’ll give me something worthy of remembering…and I know I won’t be looking back and laughing about this one anytime soon. “A Not-So-Happy Ending” is all about vacation time gone wrong.

 History, research, books, and other sources – Again, where my inspiration came from doesn’t really fit into any of these categories. I got the idea from a song by Death Cab For Cutie. The song is touching, but one line talking about smoke in the sky made me reflect back on the way we treat our planet. I’m extremely opinionistic about the way humans live, so this was a personal writing piece for me. “Too Far Gone” may have been the only essay I’ve written that almost brought me to tears in the process.