Blog Chain: What influences your writing?

*Sorry to my fellow bloggers in the blog chain, I should have posted yesterday but things have been super crazy and I only have a few minutes to write this now while I came inside from helping at our yard sale in the pouring rain. Ick. This is a short post too. I suck today!

This great blog chain question comes from Icy Roses this week....What influences your writing?

I have quite a few ways of looking at this so I'll try to break it down in a few categories and explain that way. (some of these are repeats from what the other girls said) I also noticed that a lot of my influences seem to be inspiration and motivation too. Oh well!

1. Daydreams
This is my biggest influence by far. I think about my story and characters ALL the time. Some of my best ideas come to me while showering, driving in the car and the boring moments at work.

2. Music
Sometimes songs just inspire me out of the blue and help me develop a character or create a whole new scene. But a lot of times I listen to music that I know goes with what I'm writing so that it helps me stay in the frame of mind I need whether it be intense, sad, romantic, dark, etc.

3. Other writers
This includes blogs I read, my writing critique group, forums, books I read. It might be support to keep me motivated, feedback, advice from a blog, stories of success, amazing or not so amazing writing in a published book, comments on my blog - you name it.

4. Family
Without the support and encouragement of my family I would never have the time or motivation to have started writing in the first place or keep going like I have.

5. My experiences
I like to infuse a little of what I've lived in my writing, whether it be a place I personally lived or visited or using traits of people I know. My first novel really has a lot of this but my main character is not supposed to be me and is not like me in anyway (ok so maybe I went to art school in LA and am from PA) just to clear that up in case you were wondering.

The other girls had some great stuff to say on this topic so be sure to pay them a visit.
Monday - From Elysium
Tuesday - Girl With a Notebook
Wednesday - Somewhere Nowhere in My Kingdom
Thursday - Lin Wang - Teen Writer
Friday - here

And for next week here's the lineup. Since I slacked off this week, I'll put myself on Monday to start the chain, besides I can't remember who hasn't had a turn in awhile.
Monday - Here
Tuesday - Lin Wang - Teen Writer
Wednesday - Girl With a Notebook
Thursday - Somewhere Nowhere in My Kingdom
Friday - From Elysium
(sorry if there are any repeats!)