by: Staci Stallings
In the last book I wrote, “Who I am with You” that will be out in December, there is an element of what the heroine, Taylor Grayson, learns that has become relevant in my own writing life recently. It was a take-off on an analogy that says some people are “10-gallon” people. In other words, they have a huge reservoir of inspiration space. Unfortunately, they live in a world of “1-pint” people—i.e. people who settle for living on the surface of life and who aren’t very deep.
I once heard a friend describe going to a church that was super-popular at the time. He said, “It was like a mile wide and an inch deep.” This is not a snarky judgment on anyone, but I think there are a lot of one-pint people. I honestly don’t know if it’s an inherent thing or something they learn to be because of their environment.
This semester I’m teaching again, and in the classroom, there are many students who are just not curious about anything. They sit, kind of listen, and leave as soon as the bell rings. They don’t actively participate in anything. They act like this is a waste of their time and they are simply tuned out to the world and their place in it. Again, that’s not saying they are wrong. There are times I wish I could tune out like that and just be.
I’ve never been a very good be-er. I don’t waste time well. If I’m stuck in a situation where it feels like my time is being wasted, I will actively look for some way to get out of that feeling. I will find something to read, for example, even if I’m not particularly interested in whatever it is. It could be a textbook on Quantum Physics, something I know virtually nothing about, and I would open it and read and see what I could learn from it.
That’s just the way I am, and it feels like the way I’ve always been.
When I talk with people, I don’t really care much about the weather or superficial things. I want to know how they are doing, how life is for them, what they are struggling with, how things are going. For example, when my kids bring friends home, I often know their school schedule, how their classes are going, what they are taking, what they like, what they don’t like, who their favorite teacher is and why…
In fact, the other day my son’s best friend who recently moved to college 12-hours away happened to be on the phone with him when I went into his room to check on him. She and I talked briefly and she said, “I was just thinking the other day, man, I miss Staci.” I laughed and said she must miss my hugs, and she said, “Well, that too, but I miss talking to you and you asking about everything.”
Add to this, that I have a wide variety of subjects that I either enjoy or know about. I can talk money, history, some science, literature, not math. If you’re building a house, putting in grass, or working on a car, I might not know what you’re doing specifically, but we can still have a conversation, and I’m still interested. I know about a lot of things. Music. Movement. Education. Kids. The internet. Religion and philosophy.
So, in the book, I understood Taylor’s dilemma. She is a ten-gallon person, and she had come to the conclusion that in order to fit in, she needed to shrink her reservoir. Now, she is stepping in to becoming who she was always meant to be, and it’s fascinating. She is interested in art, music, philosophy, psychology, and religion. And you get her started talking about one of those, look out.
But this has created an interesting dynamic for me because I’m finding myself trying to keep up with her. Music is cool. I can do that. Art is not something I’ve ever really studied much. I took philosophy in college, and I remember Emmanuel Kant and the others. It’s just that back then, philosophy was something to “get through.” Taylor wants to understand it.
I’m ending up doing as much filling of my own inspiration to fill out hers than I ever have with any other character before. To be honest, this is fun to have a reason to try to fill the ten-gallons. It’s not a practical pursuit, it’s not for a grade, or to one-up someone. It’s just pure inspiration to be able to draw from when she talks to Merel at the student center or Lily, her artist friend, or Yoli, her psychology friend. I don’t know if I shall ever meet another character like Taylor, but for right now, I think we could have a real blast together if we ever had the chance to hang out for real.
So, dear reader, where do you go for inspiration? What things do you do to fill your inspiration tank? I’d love to know!
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A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Although she lives in Amarillo, Texas and her main career right now is her family, Staci touches the lives of people across the globe with her various Internet and writing endeavors.
I have a VERY active imagination. I find inspiration all around me.
I find inspiration in my mind when I should be sleeping. Hahahahaha
I can daydream with the best of them! It doesn’t take much to get me off on tangents!
Like Lucy, I find myself DAYdreaming when I should be NIGHT dreaming!
I like to read books on different subjects and articles too. I also find that just sitting and people watching or listening to conversations while out and about can be interesting and inpsiring.
Cool, Mary! Me too. Songs, books, magazines… even pictures!
Have a blessed day!
Oy! That’s a favorite way of mine too. That, and in the shower…. Someone needs to come up with a great way to get THOSE kinds of inspirations written down!
Have a great day!
Trudy,
Boy, I used to be able to daydream. Now my mind is constantly filled with to-do’s and to-get-to’s. Would love to go back to the time when I had time to daydream!
God bless!
HAHAHHAH! Valerie, I hear you there! I haven’t done that in a while. I think I’m just too tired from the day. But I totally know what you’re talking about with that one.
Sometimes I’ve wanted to tell my characters to “GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!!!!”
:)
Have a great day!
I’ve gotten a few book ideas people watching. I don’t get to do it too much except with my students in school these days, but even they have their moments of being inspiring.
Have a blessed day!
I also get a lot of my ideas from dreams. I have several folders on my laptop of different genres of dreams. ;)
On a personal note, I am a self-styled “multi-potentialite,” which sounds like what your character Taylor is and you, too. I graduated with a degree in Humanities, which I tell everybody is a little bit of everything, because I could never narrow down to just one major. I’m interested in everything except Math. :D
It’s sad that so often girls learn to dim their lights rather than shine. The world is such an amazing place there is always so much happening around me and if not then it’s an opportunity for me to search out and discover the joy and amazing things around me.
Lila,
Everything but math!!! Yep, that’s me too!
I get a lot of ideas from dreams too. We must be very similar!
Have an awesome day!
Dianne,
I think girls and boys get taught that. They dim their light trying to not get in other people’s way. But I think we are all meant to shine. That’s the point.
Thanks for stopping by!
Its funny yesterday I was chatting with a friend. at church the men are having a games night (its a men’s ministry outreach) and not this year but we have a couple ladies do a high tea for the women. As we were chatting I said I would much rather go to a games night to a high tea. (partly cos I am not into tiny finger food) But I am not into just sitting around drinking tea (I end up with water) and chit chatting. I would be playing games (including slot cars). We both admitted we get better conversations from the men. I enjoy sports (not all) and very few of the women will chat about sport or if they do its very superficial. I actually get frustrated with the separation of what we like. I and I know other singles enjoy a time out to play games with others. And outside people can be invited if its a mixed group.
I too daydream. I use to do a lot of thinking and daydreaming when riding the bike and when walking. I have an active imagination I also am a vivid dreamer and often find myself trying to keep the dream going. Read also broadens the knowledge. They often have information about a subject and especially historical fiction which can teach of a time.
I am an aussie and have no idea how much a pint is I think there are 4 litres in a gallon but no idea what a pint is
music and books are inspiration
I get my inspiration from my early morning walks when my husband and I take our pup , we walk for 2 miles every day. I also read and I love listening to music. I love crafting and playing different games with my grandchildren. Every day life is an inspiration.
4 litres are just over a gallon. A pint is an eighth of a gallon. So a pint is a little less than half a litre.
Thanks for that, Lincoln! Me and measurements get along about as well as me and math do!
As for having an active imagination and being a dreamer…. that’s where most of my books get started. I have a dream that I really like and “try to keep the dream going.” Eventually, I started trying to write them down and then get them to actually be stories, and here we are!
I think I can kind of converse with anybody on most any topic–even if I’m not actively interested in it. That probably means I’m interested in the PERSON more than the topic, but I have been known to blow people’s minds when they had “no idea you would know anything about that!” HAHAHAH!
Music is a big one for me. Books used to be, but I write a lot more than I read now… sadly. :(
Cool about walking. I’ve never gotten into that as it always feels like I’m wasting time. Maybe I should try books on tape or something.
I love “Every day life is an inspiration.” So true!
Usually, my inspiration comes from the arts, including “Our Father Who does art in heaven.” A beautiful sunset lighting the clouds on fire. The arrival of a full moon just above the horizon. Irises in full bloom.
I also enjoy thinking through the ideas of philosophy and theology, thinking God’s thoughts after Him. I’m sad that you find math such a turn-off. I can understand why, though. So often math is presented as some mechanical set of instructions that someone says are useful but never why. Can you imagine taking a cooking class, being given a recipe and never being allowed to taste the food? On the other end of the spectrum, higher math has an aura of the mystical, known only by the initiated few. But could you imagine learning a new language but never being drawn into the culture, the poetry, the beauty of the world that the language presents? Yes, math has a challenging learning curve. But, then again, so does English. However, if you can set aside the struggle, I would recommend thinking of math as a craft (the same is true of computer programming). I can crochet but knitting makes my head hurt. Perhaps I would do better with knitting if I knew someone for whom it was natural, or could learn something basic but pretty and useful. Same with math. I would recommend trying some popular level books on the history of mathematics or beautiful things like the Mandelbrot Set (which you should definitely google). The role of mathematics in music is another fruitful topic. I can make some more specific recommendations if you have any interest.
Music, of course can get my heart and mind stoked, too. One of my favorites for that is Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Suite. I’m also a fan of a number of movie composers as well: John Williams, Howard Shore, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Hans Zimmer (and his various students). I also enjoy worship music but tend toward the older hymns and choir music. So much of modern worship music is based on the 5-4-3-2-1-0 method.
Five repeats, four singers, three chords, two screens, one emotion, zero brains. (Oops! Did I say that out loud?)
The image of God within us cries out to be poured into 10-gallon hearts and minds. It breaks my heart to see the young people I know settling for so much less.
Some of my best time is at night when I can’t sleep! My brain will finally not have all of my to-do’s in it, but then I can’t sleep, so I’ll start thinking of something and go to sleep! I can still daydream during the day, just don’t have as much time for it!
Trudy,
This is what I used to do a lot when I was younger. I would “play” the tape in my head and “watch” the story.
My days are pretty jam-packed these days too! No time for daydreaming.
Lincoln,
A friend of mine who teaches math says the same thing, and I have to admit it is fascinating to me when you get into upper math. But not fascinating enough to try to learn. :)
I love 5-4-3-2-1-0. I agree. They lose me after about the 5th time through 5 words!
And I also agree that the image of God within us cries out to be poured into 10-gallon hearts, minds, and souls. We are designed for much more than we ever get the chance to be or become!
Prayer and ocean – yes…I love the majesty of the ocean – reminder of our Creator!