Inspiration Wednesday

I'm not quite sure how this segment is going to go, honestly. I had a piece about short stories in mind, but my mind is a bit fried to the crisp from too much sleeping, computer, and being alone, so it's being put on the back burner for next week. Instead, I'm going to showcase one of my favorite non-writing blogs, and also one of the most reliable places for me to get inspiration for writing and other projects alike.

You may have noticed it listed in the Blogs I Love tab, but in case you never checked it out, I encourage you to now: go check out breanna rose. She is a freelance designer and part-time blogger, and right now her blog occupies the most honorable first spot in my Blogs bookmark folder.

Breanna runs a blog that certainly talks about the ups and downs of freelance design, but more importantly she writes simple posts on everything from tips and tricks of the freelance design biz to straight up "Inspiration," which is usually a well-designed photo post either taken from images she has on file or pictures from her life. Couple that with short and sweet posts about the design process, helpful collections of webfonts for bloggers and webdesigners alike, and moodboards from her previous clients that serve both as an interesting glimpse into her designing style and as a pretty visual to stir ideas or even just the creative mood, Breanna Rose's blog is hopelessly addicting.

For most people, inspiration is a visual feeling. Whether you get inspired by the colors of leaves or the clean lines of a building, everyone can appreciate something well-thought out and designed. That is where Breanna Rose's blog comes in handy; even just the simple layout and images she has accompanying her posts are like a breath of fresh air, especially if you have a cluttered chest of a mind like I do. I find her moodboards help jump-start my creative process not by giving me a structured concept to start with, like looking at a straight photograph might, but by evoking an emotion that I can weave into a story or use as a basis for characterization. At the very least, looking at something successfully created always drives me to seek out that kind of creative power myself.

That's all for this inspiration post. Obviously, I was not paid to write an endorsement or anything of the sort; I honestly enjoy her blog as much as I have written and, I should add, she has no idea I exist.

I promise Friday's post will be nowhere near as scatterbrained.

An Introduction

Allow me to introduce you to The Litterateur's Notebook, and yes- litterateur. What a strange word: "a literary person; especially a professional writer," via the Merriam-Webster dictionary. My first post on this blog, and already a blatant lie! 

I'm no litterateur, insofar as the professional writer part goes. I've been paid a total of around $350 for my writing over the course of my (albeit short) lifetime, and most of that went hand-in-hand with other internship duties. Despite my success in NaNoWriMo last year, I've yet to finish a novel. But I'm only 18 (as of tomorrow), an embarking college freshman with a myriad of other things to worry about. Why should I expect to be a litterateur, or even name a pretentious blog after the word?

Well, for one thing, let me assure you: I am a hipster. I mean, there was that time I listened to a Zooey Deschanel song and didn't even hate it. I'm also a word nerd, and I can appreciate an uncommon word enough to appropriate it for my blog title.

For another, it is never too early to secure a good blog title. I mean, in a couple years I could have been kicking myself for not snatching up this blog title before it was taken by some ghost blogger who decided to leave their blog to rot (who takes littlelitterateur.blogspot.com and then doesn't post? People who want to watch the world burn, that's who).

And there's one more thing: I fully intend on becoming a true litterateur. Maybe not during the course of this blog, but the written word vocation has been humming in my blood and soul for as long as I can remember. This blog is one of my stepping stones. This blog will keep my fingers limber and my mind ticking as I work through college and, hopefully, prove entertaining in the meantime.

Personal introductions aside, I will be updating this blog (mostly) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Almost every other day there will be content here, personal issues notwithstanding. Tentatively, Mondays will pertain to current events or "I am obsessed with..." posts, Wednesdays will either be inspiration bits or thoughts on writing, and Fridays will be book reviews. 

Only time will tell for this wannabe litterateur, but hopefully you stick around to see me make it. 

Cordially yours,

Abby