When I first started scheduling my family’s trip to Orlando, it was with the thought that this would be a “kids’ trip.” With my children’s birthdays a week a part in the middle of April, I decided that one week of missed school would be worth a family getaway, because the theme parks wouldn’t be quite as busy as usual, what with spring break over and summer not yet begun.

I figured the kids would enjoy it. As for me and my husband? We’d suffer through.

Not so. Our plan to go during less busy times really paid off. But that’s not all. My husband and I had more fun than we thought possible.

Also, I had a creative epiphany.

Not only did I come home with a new concept for an MG series that I’m PUMPED to write (generally, I’m always pumped to write, but this time, my fingers are simply flying, and the characters already feel like real people), but I had a renewed committed to my art. Witnessing an attraction built around J.K. Rowling’s imaginative world of Harry Potter, or walking through an exhibit about Walt Disney, really puts the power of art in perspective. Activities such as watching my children undergo Jedi training or riding the Seuss Carousel  gave me a renewed sense that stories can take us ANYWHERE.

So find your inspiration. Be it a writer’s conference, a personal retreat, or a family vacation, dig down deep to remember why you started this journey in the first place. And then start typing!