Can you tell us what inspires your insightful quotes and words of encouragement?
Yes, I certainly can. For the most part my quotes have been inspired by personal experiences as well as some unpleasant trials. At times, however, they’ve resulted from a keen fascination for observing and evaluating human behavior. I like to ‘people watch’, perhaps because I never cease to be amazed by the actions of others. A popular one, for example:
“Courage to me is doing something daring, no matter how afraid, insecure, intimidated, alone, unworthy, incapable, ridiculed or whatever other paralyzing emotion you might feel. Courage is taking action…..no matter what. So you’re afraid? Be afraid. Be scared silly to the point you’re trembling and nauseous, but do it anyway!”
This quote came to me when I was facing a difficult challenge that resulted in taking a stand for what I heartily wanted despite strenuous opposition. I’m no super hero, I’ll admit. I cringe at the mere mention of anxiety and confrontation. But I’ve learned that courage isn’t reserved for the brave and daring only. Courage means taking action, period. And even a timid personality can do that—albeit trembling the entire time.
What helps you with the creation of new characters and the worlds they live in?
I’m a daydreamer to the very core. There are a thousand stories swirling in my head constantly, sort of like an inner library where I slip a book off the shelf almost daily for the purpose of entertaining an untiring brain.
If only I could write—had the time to write—all the adventures and fantasies that play on my mental view screen. I have my favorites memorized, and I tweak their stories often, hoping someday to jot them down on paper. I’ve always been this way, passing the time in another world, pretending to be some extraordinary character. I have to laugh because I actually wrote a quote inspired by this truth:
“I live in two unique worlds, traveling between both with just the opening or closing of my eyes.”
~Richelle E. Goodrich
That’s me. What inspires these stories—the characters and the worlds they come from? Well….what doesn’t inspire them? In other words, just about anything can act as inspiration for me, depending upon what I’m thinking about at the moment. A mangled tree once inspired an entire book, including the type of life that dominated a fantasy world. A touching scene from a movie sparked the idea for my novel, ‘Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher.'
Art is a strong stimulation when it comes to sparking stories in my imagination. I believe it’s because art is so highly interpretive, which means I must draw on my own creativity to evaluate it. And once the creativity starts to flow, quite frankly there’s no stopping what develops from it.
Read more of this interview.