Goodreads asked B.J. Smith:

How do you get inspired to write?

B.J. Smith Inspired? I don't need inspiration to write. Let's pretend you asked me about getting motivated.

My motivation to write is different depending on the kind of writing involved. When I wrote a memoir about my mother's Alzheimer's Disease and how that affected me and my siblings and our families, I needed to get all of that out of my system and behind me. It worked to some extent. It was therapeutic.

Writing about my recent experience with leukemia in "That time I had cancer..." was also therapeutic and I hope others can benefit from reading about it.

Writing fiction? That's a creative challenge and I simply enjoy doing it.

Writing for my last day job helped pay the bills and gave me the satisfaction that came from doing interesting work that was worth doing.

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