I often wonder, when I’m reading, from where the author drew inspiration, or how the germ of an idea sprouted. Was it a face in a crowd, an article in a newspaper, a place, a personal experience, a memory from years ago? I think it’s a fascinating point of discussion because not only do you learn something about the author, but you also learn how they set about creating a story, and in that way, the reader is able to learn about the nature of story itself. And that, for any reader, particularly a non-writer, is akin to a mystical and magical process. And I do think it behooves authors to share this with their readers.
In case you’re wondering why I’m pondering this maligned topic it’s because once again, for the eleventy-hundredth time I’ve read of an author bemoaning the dreaded “where do you get your ideas from” question. And truly, I do want to smack your authorial butts when you do this! Come on, get over yourselves, your readers are genuinely intrigued and interested, don’t be so bad-ass as to whinge when they ask. They want to know. And you owe it to them to tell them. It’s part of the magic you create. (Unless, of course, you’re hiding deep dark secrets and it was really you who committed that murder and not your character, or you really are plotting to bring an end to the world…)
Right, now that little rant over, (and I make utterly no apologies), I’ve also been pondering the matter because I’ve been dreaming rather a lot about whales lately – wonderful, rich and vivid dreams. And last night’s dream not only involved whales but also a story-teller. And as I thought about the dream and the shamanic interpretation of whale symbolism (it’s all about creativity), I started thinking about the mythology of whales, which set me to thinking about mythology per se, which in turn directed my thoughts to local mythology, and that in turn brought a setting and two characters to mind... And before you know it, I’d leapt out of bed and gone sprinting down the passage to switch on the ‘puter so I could scribble down a sort of prologue thing and the flurry of ideas that suddenly started invading my consciousness.
So, when this story sees the light of day and someone asks me, “Where did you get your inspiration from?” I shall smile and say, “From a dream and a place and a bit of mythology - and you can read about it in a blog post I wrote back in 2012.”
And on that note, there will now be a short blogging break while I go off and stare at the ocean and look for whales.
Whale song...
13 comments:
Wonderful, wonderful post Nicky. I am also intrigued where ideas come from. For me they can come from all sorts of places: music, photos, people I meet, things I hear. Ham & Jam came from a variety of places including a story told to me and a photo of a girl being trafficked.
Can't wait to hear your new story. Enjoy your break too my friend xx
Great post. I don't know why anyone would be precious about where their ideas came from. It's part of the story isn't it? I mean, a child is a child and stands on his own; but when you meet his Mum and Dad you understand him so much better...
Wonderful post.
My ideas connect that way, randomly with a pattern...from one thing to many.
Have a "whale" of a time.
Great post, Nicky. I have a suspicion that we don't like to reveal our sources because they can sound so mundane and psuedy (is that how you spell it?) all at once. Take my current WIP: an idea my son had, a conversation with an agent, ET, Battlestar Gallactica and Caprica and a liberal dusting of the more obscure bits of Greek myth. See what I mean?
I find that sometimes ideas just come to me, other times I know there's something there, but I literally have to think it into being.
There's almost a magnetic quality to the process - concepts are swirling in our heads all the time, but occasionally they are drawn together to become something more significant.
The reason I struggle with this question is that I usually don't know or can't remember where a particular idea came from - particularly when they're asking about the inspiration for a book I started writing 10 years ago, whose origins are lost in the mists of my hopeless memory!
Ness I think the "where do ideas come from" question is totally fundamental to storytelling and writing, just as Wendy says - the idea is part of the story. It baffles me entirely when authors get sniffy about the question - unless, as Janet says, they story has been so long in the making the original idea is forgotten. But I'd say in story analysis it helps so much to understand the backdrop of creation.
Gail, I think that's the wonderful thing about ideas, they do sort of roll from one thing to the next - and therein lies the richness and magic that makes up a story.
Ah, but Jeannette are they really mundane? When an idea, irrespective of what it is, goes on to create something bigger and more special, then it can't possibly be anything that could have deserved a "pseudy" or mundane label!
Nick, I think that's a brilliant description of how the process works!
Note to Janet - keep notes! :-)
I loved that whale song and watching them roll around in the water and having fun splashing and spitting. Very good picture of how ideas float around until they suddenly become "real".
With ideas it is the connecting that brings something new into being. As Jeannette says, the original conversation or question you heard may be mundane, but then you create something new out of it!
oh yes, Nicky, you are quite right, the process is a vital part!
I think that readers/fans ask this question because they are in awe of the creative process. Maybe they don't recognise the creative in themselves. Maybe they don't know how to nurture their own creative soul.
Once we have that creative soul switched on, the more we exercise it, the more receptive to ideas we become. In the end we are an ideas factory, influenced by the mundane as well as the fantastic.
The real skill is capturing these ideas and doggedly working at making them into something we can share with other people.
I'm happy to share my sources with people but they are normally very disappointed.
I would be honest if asked and say, "I do not always know - sometimes things just happen". It is a hard question to answer but readers do have the right to ask it!
Lovely post and I look forward to hearing more of your whale story. It's so exciting when ideas come together. I think my ideas mostly come via images - I'm quite a visual thinker. So it could be a place I've visited, a photo or an in the flesh person I see, or an object. My current story started with a house and a gargoyle and then wildly unrelated things just added themselves and insisted on being part of things.
You're totally right, Geli - ideas do roll around, they do come together, in some ways they're like the sweets in a pick 'n mix bag, allsorts, but together they make one satisfying whole!
That's exactly it, Jo, they are in awe of the creative process and they want to be part of the magic in some way - and I think, very often they can be inspired by the results which arise from a single idea, a single snapshot, overheard conversation, or face in a crowd. I think in sharing stuff like this, we can in turn inspire others to tap into their own creativity.
Cat, I suspect all too often by the time we've finished a book we've forgotten the original inspiration - I think the ideas and the story develop so fast that it's hard to remember the original "prompt"!
Sue, I think that's it exactly the way it is with ideas and stories, - as you say you start somewhere and "...then wildly unrelated things just added themselves and insisted on being part of thing" - I think that's part of the "magic"! I think too, as I said to Cat, that's why it's so hard to remember the original idea or inspiration - because the whole thing just snowballs. I started with a dream of whales - whales are now just one "idea" in the story, all sorts of other things have already added themselves and I haven't even started writing! :-)
GREAT POST Nicky! i love the Whale tail symbolism - and it is fascinating to know where some authors find the seeds of ideas; after that its amatter of freeing your mind to see what comes up i guess; i am in awe of your creativity. One thing i find really difficult is that editing, and re-reading and revisiting - just drag my feet at the thought. No coincidence you live near whale country i suppose?
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