I was fanning through the pictures available through Weebly and Flickr, when this one jumped out at me. (the one to the left).
I liked the way it looked - sort of stained glass effect - but I also wondered if it could do the job. The job of course would be to inspire me, the author into writing something.
Initially, I would say no - it is not inspiring me the way say a picture of a talking dog would. Also, just about any picture with a person in it could be inspiring. This picture however does not seem to have anything tangible in it. How could it possibly inspire me. I had to think about this, but not much. The above picture could inspire a story about windows in a church or an art gallery painting. The picture above could inspire a story about dreams or alien spacecrafts ( the aliens are gaseous creatures glow different colors to communicate). The picture could be what the inside of a talking dog's brain looks like. Well you get the idea. There are seemingly infinite inspirations, one can get from this picture. Many don't make sense to other people but they are not the writers, you are - so you get to choose what meaning you want to get out of this picture.
Writing, especially creative writing is all about Inspiration. Use whatever inspires you, even if it is something drab like gray clothes. Even if it is something ordinary like a can of spinach (that might be scary to some). Even if it is something boring like doing the laundry. You can't force inspiration - you have to do what the Beatles said "Let It Be."
"There will be an answer - Let It Be." Just write about whatever pops into your mind - no matter how insane it might be.
I have to go now - I am going to write about being held captive by aliens who look like dogs. Strangely they only speak English and they love abstract art which is why they came to earth.
Earth being the only place in the universe that has abstract art that looks like stained glass. Their UFO looks like a frisbee and smells like their waste disposal unit is broken. They offer to pay me in dog bones (the universal currency) but I refuse. That is when they kidnapped me.
See how easy it is to be inspired !!! Run with it - whatever it is. Run Fido Run.

"Hey you, Frankie Boy, it's time to get writing."  The speaker of course is Fluffy the talking dog (graphic representation on the left). Fluffy has been in several of y short stories and a couple of essays too. He has been around in my mind so long that he thinks he is real.
Lately, he has been nagging me to get him some work. I feel like a bad Hollywood agent because I just have not felt he is 'right' for any part in my new stories.
It is not that he is not a cute, smart dog (he is). It is that he has started to get sassy and too big for his muzzle. Any non-talking parts are beneath him and lately, he has starting to ask what is his 'motivation.'
He complains that I have been using too many humans and magical types of animals.
"What you need," he snarled today, "is to get back to basics. A good old all American talking dog."
At this point, my wizard character sets up and asks me if I want to send the dog to the nether regions. "Will he come back like Cujo ? I ask and the wizard nods yes. "Forget it then ,"  I answer.
"Well, then," the wizard continues, "have you finished my story yet ? You know the one where I am entering the haunted castle?" I nod yes. I turn and look at where I had just set it down, next to me on the desk. It is gone.
"I could help you, " my lady detective character says while lifting her skirt provocatively. She winks.  "If you finish my story next."
"NO, you have to do my story next. Mine." says the precocious child (bratty) character, while stomping her feet.
"Hey dude," says my stoner character, "chill out. He has to finish my epic saga first. It is going to be major righteous."
Several other characters started in also but I do not have the space not do I have the indecency to print what they said. Suffice to say, I began to realize that I need to draw the line on characters- they need to stay in my sub-conscious and not in my semi-conscious. Unfortunately, I write mostly in the semi-conscious state.
So I decided to implement plan B. I told them that they could all be in my next blog post. They were happy.

I started to look for my finished wizard story but Fluffy the talking dog stopped me.
"Don't bother," he said "I ate it."