Curiosity

Curiosity can be intrusive, and may not always respect people’s privacy. If one is curious to that extent it is not good. Healthy interest, I think, is what is permitted. In my case I believe to be very respectful of people’s privacy and personal life, some time to the extent of shying away from asking legitimate questions, but the centre of this is about authors, where they find their inspiration, how they use their personal experience – in novel or short story – how they create characters, how attached they are to their characters.

Characters

I am curious to find out if I am “typical” in the way I live with my characters, try to understand them, sometime apologise to them for the way I may have mistreated them. For example in The Secret History, Donna Tarrt has created in the Classics students group, Henry, the twins, Charles and Camilla, Francis and the narrator, Richard, an unforgettable set of characters, and I am curious to discover what sort of relationship Donna had with them, and also with their teacher Julian.

Do they have living antecedents, or are they wholly imaginary creatures? I doubt the latter, as they are too much alive, too related to people we may have met, even Bunny. My wife thought Julian may have been inspired by the very real person, Leo Strauss, who had equally created around himself a kind of academic cult.

The Craft

I enjoyed what Stephen King wrote about “the craft” and its inspiration. I admit I sketch rather than plan rigorously (in a structured way) what I write, and often the characters, once “live”, dictate much of the story. So it is for The Page, as yet an unfinished work, whose central hero, Melissa, does lead the way the story has evolved, is evolving, since the first chapters were written. Melissa is as much the writer as I am, and I am very careful not to upset the role she’s carved herself in the story. 

Special Powers

Indeed Melissa is a good case of a character drawn from real life, the girl Julian, aka me, had known at school, was in love with, but nonetheless abandoned. However The Page is entirely fictional, and Melissa’s character has powers that are unrelated to the real world human being. The story has Melissa murdered, before the new Melissa, gifted with special powers, could come into the story. 

I am curious to know how writers develop their characters, if they miss them when they happen to injure or even kill them. Half way through The Secret History, Donna has Bunny murdered. His character was rightly annoying and often unpleasant to the extreme, one of the reasons why the other five may have wished him dead. But how did Donna feel after his death?

Book 2 of The Secret History is gloomy enough, without the humour that lighted even the dark episodes in Book 1. Did Donna feel remorse, or am I extrapolating from the feelings of at least some of Bunny’s friends? At this point I have not finished reading the book, and am still very puzzled about Julian’s role into this: perhaps the subject for another post?

Dreams

What is the role of dreams in character creation, and inspiration for a story? I dreamed of the Owl, and of the lady of the forest, before meeting a strange beauty, in the real world, who inspired me to start writing. So the dream came first, then the encounter, then the decision to turn it all into some fiction. Is this unusual? 

My interest also includes the role of locations, geography, climate, traditions in novels. Can one conceive a different landscape for The Strand from the West Coast?

“Eventually I showed one of these copycat hybrids to my mother, and she was charmed – I remember her slightly amazed smile, as if she was unable to believe a kid of hers could be so smart – practically a damned prodigy, for God’s sake. I had never seen that look on her face before – not on my account, anyway – and I absolutely loved it. She asked me if I had made the story up myself, and I was forced to admit that I had copied most of it out of a funnybook.

She seemed disappointed, and that drained away much of my pleasure. At last she handed back my tablet. ‘Write one of your own, Stevie,’ she said. ‘Those Combat Casey funnybooks are just junk – he’s always knocking someone’s teeth out. I bet you could do better. Write one of your own.’

[King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (p. 17). Hodder & Stoughton. Kindle Edition.]

What the bot says

Summary: “This report explores the sources of inspiration for authors and where they find ideas for their writing. It focuses on the relevance of curiosity, inspiration, and characters in the creative process.

Authors often find inspiration in various places and experiences. Curiosity plays a significant role in driving authors to explore new ideas and concepts. They may draw inspiration from personal experiences, observations of the world around them, historical events, or even their own emotions and thoughts. Characters, both real and fictional, can also serve as a source of inspiration for authors, as they provide a rich tapestry of personalities, motivations, and stories to draw from. By tapping into their curiosity, authors can find inspiration in the most unexpected places, allowing them to create unique and captivating narratives.”