Welcome back to Romance Weekly and let me say Happy New Year since this is my first blog for 2016. Romance Writers Weekly has a weekly blog hop where we share information about the authors in the group and ask each other interesting questions. We link from one blog to the next so you can keep reading about our authors!

Before me in the hop today is the lovely Gemma Brocato, contemporary romance writer. I’m curious about what keeps her inspired and motivated to write. Check out her blog here.

J.J. Devine, author of The Cheyenne Bride, wants to know what inspires us and what motivates us to write.

I will say that I must have the winter blues, or the going-back-to-work blues after-the-happy-times-from-the-holidays because I haven’t had a lot of motivation for the month of January. I’ve been neck deep in edits and would really love to find some inspiration to start something new and fresh, BUT I know I have to get these edits finished! So I really had to think about today’s topic. I decided to break it down into 10 things that I hope will break me out of my funk.

5 things that inspire me

1. Making a goals list. It sounds boring and it can be, but if I’m setting monthly and yearly goals for both my personal life and writing life that can get the juices flowing. I’ll want to check those goals off. Usually the ideas start to pop up after that. The more personal goals I check off - the more writing time I’ll know I’ll have.

2. Being around supportive writers!

3. Music is inspiring. I figure out what the lyrics mean to me and apply them to an idea I have. Songs can become a backdrop for a character or an entire world for several characters.

4. Nature. It’s more challenging to get outside in the winter, but if the weather cooperates and I get some fresh air, I can find some inspiration in the beauty of nature.

5. Reading. Romance novels get me inspired because I want to be able to create something similar that will resonate with readers, but poetry and non-fiction also inspire me. A lot of time reading non-romance can inspire me more either because I want to change it into a romance or it just speaks to me and my ruminations about it create ideas.

5 things that get me motivated to write

1. Reading also gets me motivated to write. Romance novels contain the inspiration and with that comes my urge to get busy and write my own romance.

2. Movies and TV shows. I love the visuals that cinema and television give me. When I take a break and get immersed into a series (Netflix marathons!) then a lot of ideas come to me and the motivation to get them written down.

3. Getting out of the house and experiencing something new. I went to a birthday party at Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline center. I was out of my element, but there were some ideas that came to me. What if a single Mom brought her child for personal instruction and a romance developed with the trainer? What if at the birthday party two former high school sweethearts were mutual friends with the birthday boy’s parents?

4. It hasn’t happened a lot in the past few months, probably because of the busy holiday months and the letdown of January, but waking up from a crazy dream can give me the motivation to immediately park my body in front of the computer and write all day.

5. The feeling of accomplishment and the unique part of working on something creative just provides me with a satisfaction that’s enough to motivate me to get to my writing desk. Also, that’s probably why I get grouchy went I haven’t been at my writing desk in a few days. J

What a way for me to kick off my blogging year by thinking about what inspires & motivates me. Now, it’s time to put these lists to good use.

Hop on over to author Jenna Da Sie to find out what keeps her writing!

See you next week!