What Inspires My Writing?

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A 10 Minute Read!

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I know I’m a bit of an oddball, all in which I’ve fully embraced and have accepted my corky and creative persona, but I really want to lure you into an intimate side of my inspiration when I’m writing.

First, I’ve been writing since I could pick up a pen and paper and put words together. I quickly found that poetry was the first love of my life, writing thousands of poems throughout my lifetime. 99% of those are not shared with the public and most are eventually thrown away throughout my life,  because I thought other people wouldn’t like them.

Although writing is the main character in my life, I struggled with the concept of writing and all the rules associated with writing. “Why can’t I just write?” For a child with multiple ear infections and a few ear surgeries, I found understanding anything to do with writing and language very confusing and hard, therefore it took and is still taking me time to grasp the concept of certain rules in writing, due to having severe hearing problems. Still today, I continue to fight with the rules of writing as an nearing 40 year young woman.

So what gives? Poetry was my absolute love. My subconscious mind took over my poems. Most poems were created with an escape in mind. It was a way to express an emotion and as a child exposed to erratic emotions, I found poetry to be an escape and a way to create my “safe place.” It was then that I could create anything from a personal emotion or an inspiration.

Years after heavy poetry, I started to write. Nothing extravagant, just short stories. I struggled with writing stories, because teachers were always telling me how bad my writing was and all the things wrong with it, which kept me from fully diving into writing. When I did write, I wrote to myself, because I understood me and I was who I had everyday. To me, as long as I could make myself happy, I didn’t care about how terrible other people thought of me. With that, throughout life I lived in a cave trying to suppress who I was for those around me. I wanted to avoid conflict and disappointment.

Eventually, I started to write short stories and had the confidence to share them in 2016, here on WordPress. WordPress was my first writing website, which I opened in 2009, but did not post my first story until 2016. Then I quickly fell off the bandwagon for 4 years, until I had a HUGE Kundalini Awakening in 2020 and my writing took off.

It was as if someone had pulled this Veil off of my purpose and I felt a huge weight lift. I became overly creative and wrote a simple short story from mostly a 10-20 minute read every 2 weeks. I re-eloped with writing again, but this time no one was going to stop me. I have never felt more free in my entire life than when I do when I write. It’s a place to have creative freedom and it’s been an escape and safe place for me. I decided to let loose and hold nothing back.

Last year, 2022, my stories have reached 42 countries. Not bad for having broken-up with social media last year. I likely could have reached more with social media, but my persona had to choose what was more important for growth. I absolutely love writing, even though it’s not quite as perfect as my critiques would expect. With every story I learn something new and I also just find pure enjoyment writing. I still write for myself first today, and I have 51 (now 71) titles I am writing about and will be sharing on this website. This number is temporary as you see, I do add to it often when I get an idea of what to write about. I don’t hit a writer’s block like I’ve heard about other writers experience, it’s a constant flow of creative energy and has always been, it’s just been in the recent that I’ve embraced my creative side.

A lot inspires me. Nearly everything is a staple in my creative writing. People, places and things are certainly an inspiration, but moments, the present, the future, other dimensions, dreams and sensations are a driver. I integrate many elements outside myself into my stories these days. Other people and their lives have played a factor as well. It’s a consistent flow of infinite creations. I put a lot of emotions in my writing.

I also want my readers to feel what I write. When it comes to love, pain, connections and imagination, I want someone to feel as though they can relate or connect with what it is I’m writing about. I don’t write to make money and I don’t write to write. I write in creation of my unique style of living and my perception of my thoughts and surroundings.

Some of my creations come from quick spouts of moments I experience, but I can write in a dime and even stretch it as far as months or years. I often use old experiences to recreate those feelings of inspiration to write a story. It’s endless for me. I often take pieces of my own personal feelings and life experiences and add them like sprinkles on an ice cream. I know most writers are attached to their stories and I’m no different. I am attached to every single one of my writings, even the really terrible ones I’ve written throughout my life as a pencil nerd. Even the ones that brought pain and suffering, because each one has a piece of something I personally created from within myself.

My writing may be an outlet throughout these spiderwebs of infinite possibilities, but for every fabrication of each silk fiber in the web, it is all part of this surge of creation that eventually ties into a greater channel. There’s nothing that can stop me from creating each silk fiber, because once I’ve started I must see it through to the end, but for me there just isn’t an ending.

Amongst these stories I write, I’m also writing in a journal and have a dream book where I record all my dreams, which I have an irregular amount of dreams on a regular occurrence. I will one day write about my dreams and share them with you, but I’m here to emphasize on how I am inspired to embark on such a unique journey as a writer. 

One of the most incredible ideas I seem to have a niche for, is writing about love. I love to write about love. Who doesn’t love a love story these days? Sadly, love is abused and its originality has lost its authenticity in a world of toxicity created by trauma and the unloved. I am inspired by what love is supposed to mean and what it should mean to others. 

I see and hear so many heart-breaking love stories and it’s my calling to recreate what love should really look and feel like, not this mediocre version built by a damaged society.

Writing without a doubt is the love of my life. I don’t just like writing, I’m absolutely in-love with writing. I would marry it if I could! Seriously, I enjoy many aspects of the human experience and other than playing my Tongue Drum, writing is something I know I’m good at, even with errors. 

To me, writing is words put together. When I read, I just see words, not the fancy rules associated with the way someone chooses to write. Much like being able to read with missing words, you know, those tests you can do? Yes, I think more people should embark on a writing journey and worry less about the construct and rules associated with “being a real writer.”

And believe me you, I’m not here on earth to embark on a journey wearing Gucci. I’m a bit rough around the edges and really press and express doing what you love for you, so that the words of other critics won’t penetrate your passion to create. After all, we are all going to pass away, so why not experience life the way that highlights your existence?

“Writing isn’t just an elaboration, it’s an experience, a reality with endless stories and infinite possible communications.” -Riva Gijanto

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©️ 2023 Riva Gijanto. All Rights Reserved. This is my hard work. Please do not steal, copy, recreate, manipulate or use its authenticity in any way.