Ponderings of the day...

This post has kinda been simmering in the back of my head most of the day... You'd think that would make it a little more coherent, but it's still not... Too many pieces in it, I think.

So I keep something called an Inspiration Book. It's just a little leather-bound notebook that I keep in my purse, and I write down things in it that inspire me. Sometimes it's song lyrics, sometimes it's quotes from movies, or little lines from books. There's a few things in there that I've written myself, and even a thing or two that friends of mine have written.
Anyways, I've been going through it lately, copying it from a large book, to a smaller one that's a little bit easier to carry around. It's interesting going back and seeing some of the things that are in there that have moved me somehow.

And that kinda brings me to the second part of what's been going through my head... Things that move me.
I read a poem a while ago, something that was written by someone I knew, and it moved me to tears.
Sometimes I feel like things move me, but I don't really understand why. I can read a poem or a story that I really have no direct connection with, maybe because I've never experienced anything like what's being described, but it touches something deep inside me anyways. Almost as though I had experienced it. As though there's a million different people inside me, and that it's really them that's being touched...
And yes, I know that makes me sound like I have MPD, but that's not what I mean at all. Maybe it's just part of being such a character-centred writer...
Besides, I'm just kinda rambling here... Bear with me.

Because this brings me to the third part of my thoughts... My novel. (such as it is)
For those of you that may not be familiar with that particular piece of work in progress, I've been attempting to write a novel for about 2 years now. It's coming slowly.
There are a few little excerpts hiding somewhere on my blog (all very helpfully titled with excerpt in the post name!) if you're interested in reading a bit.
But what gets me is... Where did the story come from, and how am I managing to write it?
I have no first hand experience that is even close to what my main character is going through, and yet I've been told by a few people that my portrayal is very accurate and convincing.
I remember where I got the idea... But that still doesn't really explain how such a complex, emotional story has managed to fight it's way out of my head.

... And now, I don't know what to say anymore. The thoughts have tumbled from my fingers through the keyboard, and onto the screen, but I really can't say that they make any more sense to me now than they did when I was just tossing them around in my head.

I'd welcome any insight you may feel like sharing!