Authors are often asked about what they read and which writers have influenced them. But the truth is that inspiration is all around us and there are many influences upon our writing and our life.

As most of you know, I write the Orchard Hill romance series. All of the stories take place in a small town and many of the characters show up again in the series. I love that I don't have to say 'goodbye' to these characters after I finish their stories.

Recently I spent a relaxing evening watching TV. It was a rare occasion when everyone in my family was busy and the remote was up for grabs. And of all the things I could have watched on the many, many channels we get, I chose sitcom reruns.

I admit it. I love situation comedies - Full House, Family Matters, The Nanny, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc. Now, in the hey day of reality TV,  brutally realistic crime shows and movies on demand, I still want to watch these cozy, corny stories where all problems can be solved in half an hour. I enjoy getting to know the characters and how they relate to each other and watching them go from difficulty to difficulty, secure in the knowledge that it will all end in a group hug.

While these shows may be silly and at times even unrealistic, I do get something wonderful from them. I come away with the affirmation of the importance of family, friendship and community. These are values that I hold dear and try to build into every Orchard Hill story.

Does anyone else find inspiration in televisions shows? Please leave a comment and tell me which show or type of show and how it influenced you.




 

Related Posts:

  • The way in a mangerYesterday, like many other churches in the UK and probably across the world, we had our carol services. The morning was an all age service with the children taking part and the evening a traditional carol service with reading… Read More
  • A Guest Blogger...A Penchant for PendulumsHello, my husband, Glenn Carter, wrote something that I enjoyed and wanted to share with you all.This is what he said, "Do you like to watch pendulums? They can be fun to watch and rather mesmerizing. Yet I must admit that … Read More
  • Why Do We Worry?September 10th?  Already? Seems like only yesterday that I walked out of my day job for the very last time on December 31, 2009. At that time, I had some fears about how we'd have to change our lifestyles, and whether or… Read More
  • Goals and pacing“In your heart you plan your life. But the Lord decides where your steps will take you.” ~ Proverbs 16:9 (New International Reader's Version)Have you ever set out with a goal, a good and worthy goal, only to become frustrated… Read More
  • Loves Healing Power By Anne GreeneIn my Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, nothing was as it appeared. Yet, Lady Megan found love’s healing freedom when she discovered that against all appearances, her father did love her. Brody discovered God’s heali… Read More

3 comments:

  1. Carol Ann23 August, 2010 08:45

    I love the older sitcoms! I'm always tuning to a station that shows them. One of my favorites is Who's the Boss. The attraction between Tony and Angela in the earlier episodes had me aching for more. That's the kind of stories I like to write. Another fav of mine has never been rerun. Mad About You with Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pamela S Thibodeaux25 August, 2010 07:17

    Hey Kara,

    Can't think of TV shows that have inspired me but songs really do - so much that one time I wrote an analogy between the love of God/the Christian life to the song The Rose (some say love is like a river and it drowns the tender reed - sung by Conway Twitty & Bette Midler)

    Great post!
    PamT

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kara Lynn Russell26 August, 2010 15:20

    Carol,
    I was just watching Who's the Boss yesterday! I love that show, too. They were running it on the Hallmark channel. That show and The Nanny are the only two sitcoms I could think of that were specifically set up to focus on romance. Can you think of any more?

    Pam,
    I think songs are very inspiring, too. Lots of writers find inspiration in movies, too but not so much for me. We're all different so I guess we find inspiration in different places.

    ReplyDelete