What Inspires You?

In the Children's Guide I am reading an author,Justina Chen Head (Nothing But the Truth and a few White Lies, suggests identifying or expressing in words your the Character's Heart Desire.

Ask: What does my character want most? Why doesn't he/she have it? What would be the character's pure moment of joy? What scares the character to death?

Given the her most heartfelt desire, deepest fear, what does she NEED?

When you answer these questions creat a collage, a motto by your writing spot... whatever to help you remember the answers and inspiration behind these questions.

It took me a couple minutes to answer them, but immediately I zoned in on what needed to happen with my charachter and how I could make all that I wrote, contributed to the beginning and end. She finally had a true heart that I could work from, she became real to me. Not just a character. Try it!

And here is a start to my collage.. My adopted motto:


"The little airplanes of the heart
with their brave little propellers
What can they do
against the winds of darkness
even as butterflies are beaten back
by hurricanes yet do not die"

-- Lawrence Ferlinghetti