Inspiration

Today I'd like to share a little insight into my horror inspirations. If you've read my previous posts, you know the feel comes from dealing with my illness. But what inspires the stories? Where do the plots come from? To understand this part, you'll need a little background info. I was one of those darling children who could turn anything into a story... And often did. I had an imagination larger than the universe and a brain like a sponge. I was the kind of child that in today's society would probably be misdiagnosed and put on meds to ease her parents. In my childhood, I was called gifted and my parents nurtured it. Challenged it even. 

Sometimes my mom would point to something and say "tell me a story about it". By the time I was in third grade, I was so good I had all my classmates believing a kingdom of trolls lived in the bushes bordering the playground and only I could see and hear them. Thanks mom for defending me on that one when one scared girl ran crying to the principal. Anyway, I see things or hear things and my imagination goes from there. If I don't try to control it or narrow the focus, I can suddenly have ten ideas from one flash of inspiration. So, where did my horror stories come from? With the exception of two stories, they all came from our new country house. People look around and see scenery, I look around and see millions of stories to be told. I've often said being a writer is like being a psychic medium, except we're channeling the imagination. Sometimes I even scare myself with how clear the stories in my head are and with how uncontrollable they can be. My imagination has its own rules and I just follow the roads it puts me on. Not every road gets used but each trip is valuable. So to end today's ramble, a little gem: In the journey of life, sometimes it's the wrong turns that teach us the most. Jennifer