where do you go?

Freelance writing is mostly a solitary business, which is just fine by me. On a productive day, I love spending time alone with my laptop, playing with words to build stories as if they were Lego pieces to make castles. But I also love talking to other writers, which I rarely get to do. So in this space I'd like to share ideas from writers, editors, bloggers, illustrators, photographers, creative types and bookworms about writing and creativity: how they get inspired to write, how they hone their craft, fuel their creativity, triumph over pesky self-doubt demons and switch off from writing when it’s seriously time for shut eye. 

For starters, here are some of the sites I've been visiting lately for inspiration to write. I'd love to hear where you go for creative fodder.
- Dumbo Feather, an Australian mag that shares “conversations with extraordinary people”. Yesterday I re-read the story on Dumbo Feather founder and former editor Kate Bezar in Issue 27 (2011) where she spoke of the inner turmoil she experienced while juggling the dual roles of magazine editor and her new gig as a mum. 
- Sarah Wilson’s blog. Sarah is a journalist, blogger and presenter and was former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. She is writing a book based on her health journey, which she charts on her blog. She is generous and frank with her advice on how to grow a writing career. This post in particular helped encourage me to start a blog. 
- TED Talks are “ideas worth spreading”. I think Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk on Your Elusive Genius is eloquently put.
- Nobel Prize for Literature website. Dorky, I know, but once in a while I'll visit the Nobel website to read winners' Nobel lectures, which are beautiful pieces of writing that often explain what inspired these great minds to write in the first place. Try Pablo Neruda’s lecture from 1971. 

There are so many more to share. I think I'll make this a regular post.