Who inspired you to write? What keeps your creative energy flowing? Do you have a special saying, or place on the web (or anywhere else in this world)? What places have you seen and what people have you met or been touched by that have left a lasting imprint on your mind and soul?

Will you share with the rest of us? As writers, we can do much to inspire one another. That's what this page is for. I want to put those stories here.

Click on the magic button to make your contribution then check back here on this page to see what everybody else has to say. And thank you!

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 
Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation, (1768?-1813) -- who said, "So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

My cousin, Winifred Holtby, a writer -- In the 1920's, Winifred was determined to establish herself as a writer in London and did write several books, among them, the definitive biography of Virginia Woolf. Fighting the odds against any woman succeeding in the writing field, she became a very in-demand journalist for over twenty newspapers and magazines, including the feminist journal, "Time and Tide." Winifred was a pacifist in spite of having volunteered for the Women's Army Artillery Corps during WWI. She campaigned for the League of Nations and against the class system. In 1931, Winifred was diagnosed with sclerosis of the kidneys. Knowing she was going to die, she set out to create what many literary critics consider to be her best work, "South Riding." She died September 29, 1935. A literary prize has been named for her.

Winifred's courage and determination and love of writing guide me in every word that I write. I seek to honor her and she is my muse, the writer who lives inside me and sometimes takes over when my own will and skills fail.

Winifred Holtby