Inspiration, that flare of light, that germ of an idea. Where does it come from? I think that has to vary for each individual. For myself, i
t depends on what the subject or form is.
Poetry comes to me from so many places it would be hard to single out just one. My biggest inspiration is the nature that surrounds me. The sun slanting across the prairie, sliding behind the mountains illuminating the sky. The curl of Chinook clouds arching overhead, wind singing in the trees, gossiping with the cottonwoods, whispering with the spruce and pine. The moon silvering every where I look, changing the familiar into the magical. Stars burning in the sable sky, diamonds scattered across black velvet. Home to Orion, the Great Bear, Cassiopeia and so many others. Words whispered in my ear, settling in my mind. Perhaps I am just a conduit, a channel.
For fiction, short stories can be prompted by many things. Memories from childhood, stories my parents and grandparents told me. Things I found in old diaries and journals where the words will suddenly leap off the page and into my imagination. My process is pretty eclectic, I’m afraid. No rhyme or rhythm to it. It flows and ebbs in its own time.
For novels, it’s a bit more complicated. I’m a pantser still. I find it hard to plot and plan out a story because invariably my characters will snatch that plan out of my hands and rewrite it before handing it back to me saying: “Nope, try this. This is where we want the story to go.” My characters spring full grown from the page. They are their own creation. I can’t write a character based on a real person, although I know some writers who can do just that with good results. Just not me, I guess. Inspiration can stem from something that interests me on a deep level. Whatever it is that prompts an idea will most often be the thread running through the spine of the novel. It may not be front and centre but it will be the supporting material that makes the story strong and viable.
Historical fiction, the inspiration there comes from my publisher, who has asked me to be part of a historical collection. In the first instance, I used my maternal grandparents’ story as the base for my story. I’m currently working on a historical mystery set in Manitoba during the Riel Rebellion. We, of course, learned about the rebellion in grade school history class, and I still remember seeing a picture of Riel for the first time. Something about the fierce dark eyes struck a chord in me. So when it came time to pick the period I would set my story in, the first choice was in and around 1869. The more I research and learn, the more I have come to realize that Riel was no treasonous militant. He was a man who stood up for his rights and those of his fellow countrymen and women. Riel and his followers were in the right and the government of Upper Canada, along with the unscrupulous speculators who already lived in Winnipeg were morally and ethically in the wrong. So, even though I hadn’t consciously thought about Riel and the rebellion for years, that one defining moment when as a school girl I met his gaze across the years through a grainy photo, he lurked in the back of my mind waiting for the time to be ripe to be my burst of inspiration.
So, as you can see, my inspirations come from many and varied sources. Emotional, sensory, cause driven in some cases such Wild Horse Rescue and Dead Dogs Talk. Always with my face turned toward the Light, while acknowledging the Dark. Balance, harmony.
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