Writing and the act of appreciating ginger cats

So today is ginger cat appreciation day. That made me think of one of the most famous ginger cats in the world. Besides the one that eats lasagna and hates mondays, that is.

You've probably heard of him. If not, where have you been? He was everywhere!

I'm talking of course, about a street cat. A street cat named Bob.

To summarize very briefly: Bob saved the life of a young , drug addicted street artist. He not only saved him, Bob actually gave him back his life. This was in return for the way Bob was treated by James, de man who found him. James decided to pay the last of his hard earned money on medicine to patch up Bob. And that act of kindness was repaid.

The couple got to become the most famous pair in the streets of London. It kicked of James' literary career when he wrote down the amazing story of how a big ginger cat changed his life. It turned out to be a major bestseller that got adopted into a movie last year.

I put a half hearted joke on my Instagram feed, that is about quotes that are meant to inspire peoples' writing. About how I could try to defend this picture by claiming that is about stories, that you need to nurture or else they will leave you and look for another writer that can tell them better. It wasn't meant seriously, but later I realized that is exactly how it is.

A spark of brilliance, one shot of amazing inspiration isn't enough. It is a beginnig, of course. Sure, you could even say it is impossible to start without that first amazing idea that makes the excitement rush through your veins. (I would argue otherwise, but that is another discussion).

The point is: you DO need to nurture that idea. If you don't invest in the development of the idea into a fullblown story, what is the point of the idea sticking around? It will wither away, leave you and go on to find another writer. One that is willing to commit. But if you treat it as it deserves, it could develop into something as amazing as the bond between James and that street cat named Bob.

Just wanted to share this wake up call about a ginger cat on ginger cat appreciation day :)