There
haven’t been many times in my life when I’ve been at liberty to wallow in the
search for story ideas. Generally I am
working on completing or polishing a narrative that presented itself many years
before, not lazing around in the summer sun waiting for inspiration to strike
me with its fiery bolt. Still, I can
recall one occasion in the past when this did occur. I had just finished writing Call of the Black Panther, it was late
in my high school days; I was sitting under a tree in my backyard pushing
around ideas, waiting for one to grab me with the rush of exhilaration I’m
certain some drugs elicit.
Most
of my story ideas happen in mid-project rather than neatly at the end of
one. This is both a blessing and a
curse. One encounters the challenge of
never finishing all of their projects but also has several to choose from
should enthusiasm be lacking for the current tale. Inspiration is not something that can be
forced although it can be encouraged.
Exposing oneself to literature, interacting with others, and simply
experiencing the world exposes an author to millions of themes, backdrops and
characters, and within this mix of constantly shifting existence lies the
hearts of stories waiting to be realised.
This
topic came to mind since I am currently reading a fanfiction that, while
interesting and expansive, follows a few too many romantic clichés and is
dragged out a bit too long for my liking.
Reading this fanfiction has made me want to write my own romantic
adventure, although I like to focus my energy on original works rather than
fanfiction. This is an example of how
reading another’s work, whether you love it or hate it, can benefit an
author. Although I’m not sure where this
desire to write a romance will lead I’m glad that my creative will is still
active. Perhaps by the time April Camp
NaNo rolls around I’ll have some more ideas to work with.
